Family Adoxaceae.
Originating from Europe.
- Dark purple-black foliage creates a strong vertical accent.
- Soft pink flowers appear in large flat clusters in early summer.
- Easy to grow, hardy and rewarding in any garden.
The Black Tower Elderberry in Your Garden
Dark and brooding, lush and strikingly upright, this variety of our native Elder is robust and yet refined. Dense, dark purple leaves abundantly clothe its upright branches. Their compact, bushy growth defines the multi-stemmed ascending branches in a spire-like habit, creating a layered effect. Its outstanding foliage and form create a backdrop for its flower and fruiting display.
Sambucus nigra ‘Black Tower’ is fully hardy in all UK gardens. It grows to around 2.5–4m tall but only 1–1.5m wide, making it much narrower than standard elderberries. In Norfolk’s traditional English gardens, it frames paths and arbours perfectly. Furthermore, it is a rare contemporary deciduous addition to Suffolk’s modern outdoor lifestyle spaces.
Flat heads of numerous individual flowers have the palest pink-white petals with magenta stamens, giving an overall bright pink effect. The soft pink flowers stand out beautifully against the dark foliage, draw in pollinators, and carry a subtle fragrance. Typical black elderberries follow, providing an important late-season food source for birds.
Did you know?
In the past, the elder was known as the ‘Countryman’s Medicine Chest’ because its flowers, bark, berries, and leaves were thought to possess many therapeutic properties. Modern medicine now confirms several of these benefits.
Growing Tips for Your Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla Black Tower
- Soil and sun: Any soil in full sun or partial shade.
- Planting: At any time of year. Never plant a dry plant! Plunge the pot into water to thoroughly drench the rootball before planting.
- Watering: Water regularly during the first year while it is rooting out. Once established, it tolerates spells of drought.
- Pruning: None required due to its compact habit; however, it can be pruned hard in late winter or early spring to any desired size, with vigorous new growth resulting.
Sambucus nigra ‘Black Tower’ is a modern selection of the Elder, a tree revered in ancient folklore and for its healing properties. Druids considered the elder sacred and planted it around houses and farm buildings to ward off evil spirits. Plant this cultivar, bearing many of the species’ traits, in meditative spaces and link your garden to ancient British lore.
