[WeedfreeWill]

I am very keen on elder berry conserve, and was thinking of growing a few trees and perhaps Espalier-ing them.

I know how to do this but I wondered if it would work for an Elder Tree, how high can they grow and are they very bushy?

Any help/advice will be much appreciated

[Yorkie]

I don't know but I thought I'd just say welcome to the site 

Feel free to pop into the Welcome Forum for proper 'hellos'.

[Kleftiwallah]

Welcome to the madhouse, why waste space on an elder when the hedgerows are groaning with them.    Cheersm   Tony.

[WeedfreeWill]

You do make a good point Tony. But as I would like to create some shelter from the wind I thought I would grow something I could use instead of just putting some fencing up.

[joyfull]

we get them cropping up all over the place - they are a flipping nuisance 

[Rangerkris]

we get them cropping up all over the place - they are a flipping nuisance 

Im sure there is plenty around that you could pick a crop from, with out taking up your own space.

[gillie]

Elder trees are really multistemmed shrubby things with brittle wood.  I doubt that you could train them.  Given the right circumstances I suppose a branch can grow up to fifteen feet. 

I agree with the others - grow espalier apples and pick your elderberries from hedges.

[arugula]

Hi WeedfreeWill,

Elder (Sambucus Nigra) is almost more of a shrub really than a tree and as has already been pointed out will grow profusely. As such, it may take better to being treated like a hedge plant, if you want to keep it neat and trimmed looking, rather than a tree. The prolific self seeding will come from berries dropping on the ground or from bird transport. You say you are keen on elder berry conserve, but the flowers are also a great ingredient to use, but you'll have to fight the birds for both!

If you are only after a useful windbreak, how about something like hazel?

[azubah]

I was out for a walk today and saw some elder bushes. They don't have leaves on this time of year, so they wouldn't make much of a wind break in the winter months.
I noticed that most of them had branched out near to the ground, so they are more shrub than tree.
I would imagine that if you trim them like a privet hedge when young you could keep them bushy and to the height you want.
Don't be put off. Have a go if that is what you want.
We made elderflower wine this year and it was very nice.
I tried making an elderberry pie once but it was horrible as I left the seeds in.

[solway cropper]

I'd have to agree with what others have said. Elders are so prolific and widespread it seems strange to want to grow them in a garden. I'd rather grow something that I can't get for free in the hedgerows. It is quite possible to have a fruit tree hedge if you are prepared to put the effort into training and pruning and I'm sure you could find plenty of uses for damsons, plums, apples etc.

[Salmo]

I have seen them grown commercially in Italy. They were grown as standards with a 4 foot stem and spaced about 6 foot apart.

[paintedlady]

I have elderberry "trees" in my garden, but are sort of part of the privet hedge and probably been there since the 1960s (I think they were planted about 2 feet away from the hedge but both have spread out and become a single hedge)

The berries produced are slightly bigger than those collected from hedgerows so I think they are a cultivated variety rather than something picked out of the hedgerow, and they do not self seed.  The trees are straggly looking things and as already mentioned, do not bush up.  I cannot see how you espalier them but someone could always have a go and say whether yay or nay if it worked or not.

To get decent harvests, I savagely cut my 5 trees down to about 2-3 feet high and in the first year as you would expect, there are no flowers or fruit.  By the 2nd year, the trees put on an amazing flower display over and above any hedgerow - one of the reasons why they get cut right back as well as the fact that the trees would also take over the garden as they don't just grow up, but sideways out too.  Definitely not a tree for a small garden.