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Marge Elderberry

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Original price $25.99 - Original price $25.99
Original price
$25.99
$25.99 - $25.99
Current price $25.99
SKU E039Q

Sambucus nigra spp nigra ‘Marge’

Selected for outstanding performance in summer heat situations that challenge other European elderberry cultivars, Marge is the one European elderberry to try in your challenging back yard. Her numerous flowers produced on second year wood produce large juicy berries that are loaded with all of the health benefits we look for in an elderberry. Marge is partially self-fertile, crops will be heavier with another European elderberry as a pollinizer, and possibly also with a group of several Marge plants.

Marge is an open pollinated seedling of Haschberg elderberry, selected for its vigor and large berries by Wyldewood Cellars Winery in Kansas. Sambucus nigra cultivars do not perform well throughout the Midwest, so growers are typically limited to American cultivars that tolerate the summer heat better but produce smaller berries and less total fruit. Trials conducted by the U. of Missouri confirmed Marge significantly outperformed all other S. nigra cultivars in their trial, including Samdal, Samyl, Haschberg, Sampo, and Korsor, and produced more fruit with larger berries than the American cultivars in the trial as well.

USDA Zone: 4-9

Grow Height:  10' (Large)

Sun: Full Sun

Ripening Time: Late Summer

Pollination: Partially Self Fertile

Size: 2 Quart Pot

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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  • I have a very prolific Marge elderberry that is entering its fourth spring. It is very healthy! It’s probably 12 ft tall but narrow at the base. I’m thinking it needs some pruning out of the older canes. What number of canes should I keep approximately? Can I cut the canes to the ground? Should I perhaps prune off some of the lateral growth from younger canes? It’s waking up right now in So Oregon so I probably need to get it done soon. Please advise. Not many people know about the Marge! Thank you

    Elderberries bear fruit on new wood, and after those shoots have made fruit they can be removed. In our climate pruning in the summer is safer due to weather being dry and without summer rains plants will be less likey to get diseases. You can take out all of the canes that are 2-3 years and older, or keep as many as you'd like for aesthetic reasons. Elderberries grow aggessively and will tolerate a lot of pruning if you are trying to maximize your fruit production in a small space.

  • Hi, we have an edible hedge that we want to expand. Elderberries seem like a good choice, but no one specifically says they can be eaten fresh off the bush like Aronia, Haskaps, and Saskatoons. Can they be eaten fresh and uncooked?

    Elderberries are not considered edible raw in large amounts as they contain a sugar that metabolizes into a toxin. Cooked elderberries do not metabolize the same way.

  • I have read that Marge is a cross between Sambucus Nigre and Sambucus Canadensis. Do you know if this is true?

    Marge elderberry was created by Marge Millican at Wyldewood Cellars Winery in Kansas. It is an open pollinated seedling of Haschberg, meaning there is no way to know if the other parent plant was a S. nigra or a S. canadensis. Its DNA markers, phenological, and morphological characteristics all indicate that it is a S. nigra more than a hybrid. Hope that helps!

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