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T19. Sambucus nigra 'Eva' black lace
Elderberry (cultivar)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 4–7
Full sun–partial shade
Moist soil
Native
6–8 feet tall
The black lacy foliage of this elderberry cultivar provides excellent contrast in borders, screens, and hedges. Reaching 6 to 8 feet tall, the shrub produces showy pink lemon-scented flowers on flat-topped cymes in midsummer and dark red elderberries later in the season. The flowers bloom on the current season's growth, so the plant can be pruned to any purpose in the spring and still produce flowers and fruit. With compound pinnate foliage resembling that of Japanese maple, black lace adapts to many soils, and full sun will bring out its richest dark purple foliage.