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Sambucca Nigra black lace wilted
bev allen
Posts: 19
help please, my sambucca has been lovely for the last 7 years or so, I've only lightly cut it back in this time and its quite tall but a lovely shape and one of my favourites, this year however after flowering the last 2 weeks the leaves/flowers/berries have all shrivelled up and wilted and its not looking happy.
What would cause it to do this, could it be wind damage? As we back on to fields and do get strong winds but it has survived these before but wonder as its taller this year whether its caused more damage or is it because its got too big? or are they just short lived?
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I find they are quite brittle. The wind rocks them about and they break at the bottom. Have a close look at yours - feel for excess movement and look at the base for damage.
Without a picture, it's hard to say if you should give it a prune back. I don't believe it is wind damage. The leaves tend to show scorch marks but not wilting. Is the whole shrub wilting or just some areas? It could just be your plant feeling the stress from a very dry spell and lack of water.
You say it's looking leggy. Do you shape it every year? Maybe it's a good idea to prune some stems back to see how it responds next year. Either way, give it a good watering and continue to do that for the next few weeks. See if it perks up or not. Even if it doesn't recover, the shrub might be shutting down for winter early due to stress.
Last edited: 11 August 2017 23:05:30
I would give it a good watering. .....the leaves tend to droop when they are thirsty