Illustration
Black Beauty Elderberry
Sambucus nigra 'Gerda'
Also called black beauty elder
Black Beauty Elderberry blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Black Beauty Elderberry
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 10 ft tall and 8 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Black Beauty Elderberry. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Black Beauty Elderberry
Plant Black Beauty Elderberry in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Black Beauty Elderberry get?
10 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult8 ftwideSee Black Beauty Elderberry in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Black Beauty Elderberry
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Black Beauty Elderberry about 8 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Black Beauty Elderberry to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Black Beauty Elderberry's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 9 published sources on September 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Proven Winnersthe brand that sold it in the USheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, pests and toxicity
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society (RHS Plants)height, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Chicago Botanic GardenGlencoe, Illinoisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- US plant patent (Google Patents)Google Patentsheight, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- Utah State University ExtensionWilliam A. Varga Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, water and bloom months and color
- NC State ExtensionSambucus nigra, SPECIES pagesun, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.