Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Tree Identification

Newbie Gardener!Newbie Gardener! Posts: 5
in Plants
Hello,

Can anybody identify this tree in my back garden please?



Thank you!  :)

Posts

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Sambucus nigra (Elder).
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    It looks like elder.  A much under-rated plant IMO.  The flowers feed insects and can be brewed into a delicious cordial.  The berries feed birds, and can be turned into wine, jam, jelly, or cooked with apples.  It hosts an edible fungus called "Jew's Ear", though like all fungus you should be very careful about eating it!  There's a lot of fairy folklore associated with elder.  It grows anywhere and is almost indestructible.  You can cut it to the ground and it re-grows.  And if you want to grow more of it, just put a few berries in a pot of compost, and pot them on singly when they're big enough to handle.
  • Newbie Gardener!Newbie Gardener! Posts: 5
    Wow, amazing - thank you both!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    It is a great and hard working tree, too easily dismissed. We have lots around our way and the view from my bedroom window is clouds of curds at the moment.
Sign In or Register to comment.