He who cultivates elderberry will die in his own bed.
– Unknown
– Unknown
Plant an elderberry in your garden and you’ll receive delicate ornamental foliage, a multitude of fragrant flower clusters in spring, shade and shelter in summer, and a plentiful harvest of antioxidant-rich berries by early autumn, if not before.
These easy-care, vigorous shrubs come steeped in mysticism but their inky-black fruit also bring a healthy dose of useful nutrients and flavonoids to the table. Both the creamy-white flowers and the purple-black berries have been widely used over the ages to ease the symptoms of colds and flu. 17th-century English writer, gardener, and diarist, John Evelyn, professed that an extract of elderberries was “a catholicon against all infirmities whatever” – in other words, a
