A missing garden does not necessarily have to go hand in hand with not having home-grown elderberries. The ornamental and fruit trees also thrive in flower pots on the balcony. You can find out all the essential requirements for cultivation here.
Recommended varieties for planters
A majestic black elder with a growth height of 5 meters and a width of 4 meters will soon exceed the capacity of a flower pot. Not so the following varieties, as they are smaller or appear in an elegant columnar shape:
- Red-leaved columnar elder 'Black Tower': growth height up to 250 cm, black-red foliage and purple-black berries
- Canadian gold elder 'Aurea': growth height up to 250 cm, golden yellow foliage and red elderberries
- Fern-leaved gold elder 'Sutherland Gold': growth height up to 200 cm, deep yellow pinnate leaves and red fruits
- Grape elder 'Plumosa Aurea': growth height up to 250 cm, green pinnate leaves and bright red stone fruits
It is obvious that a suitable flower pot should have a volume of at least 40 liters. Since all types of elder can be cut very well, you can easily keep the dimensions of the fruit tree under control.
Planting and care tips
With regard to site conditions, elder proves to be pleasantly flexible. Sunny to semi-shady lighting conditions appeal to him in particular. The substrate should be as nutrient-rich and loose as possible. Therefore, enrich commercially available potting soil a little with compost, perlite (€37.51) or sand. Drainage at the bottom of the pot above the water outlet is essential, because waterlogging destroys any hope of a magnificent elderberry in the flower pot.
In the context of care, a few aspects come to the fore. Constant moisture is important, with the substrate surface drying between waterings. If you let the potting soil dry out too much, your elder will throw off its leaves indignantly. Since you are dependent on liquid fertilizer in pot culture, choose a commercially available preparation. Liquid compost or worm tea serve as an organic alternative.
tips and tricks
Did you know that millions of TV viewers in Germany know elder flower pot in a completely different context? The popular 'reportage' of the sports show after the respective games of the soccer World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014 were presented by the hip-hop band 'Blumentopf' with the band leader 'Holunder', alias Bernhard Wunderlich.