Can you tell me how and when to prune sambucus?
Jim Baldwin, Fakenham
Stefan says: Sambucus is the elderberry genus, but it’s a large group and, unfortunately, you don’t say which one you have. My guess, however, is that it will be a form of the common native elder, Sambucus nigra,
which is found in hedgerows almost everywhere. Numerous ornamental kinds are popular, among them, Sambucus nigra f. laciniata, with fern-like leaves,
S. nigra ‘Aurea’, with golden foliage, and several kinds of
S. nigra f. porphyrophylla.
There are two pruning options. If the oldest one third of the shoots is pruned to soil level each year in spring, the plants will reach a greater height but the leaves will generally be less attractively coloured and smaller. Alternatively, by cutting all shoots back to soil each spring, the best foliage will be obtained but inevitably on a smaller plant.