Why I Oughta...

Back a few years back, I was on a real "dark foliage" kick.  I was seeking out "dark foliage" plants like Dark Side of the Moon Astilbe.  And... I ended up planting a pair of Eiffel Tower Elderberries in the backyard, under the secondary Oak tree along the south fence line .  The plant tags showed JET BLACK foliage.  The description said that the leaves emerge green and age to a dark black.   I don't think I've gotten black foliage.  Yet.  I posted photos in October 2024 (their second growing season) and they were...well...green .   What about now?  Below is a photo showing this pair of plants.  They're supposed to be 'upright', but mine are kind of lingering.   One thing that I just revisited is this little tid-bit of maintenance.  From my original planting post : Black Tower Elderberry is excellent for the back of the border and adds some textural drama to tight spaces. Plant in full coastal sun or partial shad...

In the middle of last Summer (July 2023), I planted a pair of dark foliage shrubs - Eiffel Tower Black Tower Elderberries - along the fenceline about mid-way back .  Looking back at them when they went in, the were short and compact.   Now, 15 months later, both of the shrubs are doing fine - putting on some vertical growth and doing their 'tower' thing.  They're not...however...black.  See below: This season, they're up over the top of the fence (you can see in the background), so they've bulked-up height-wise.  I cut these back to about 2' off the ground this Spring and I'll do that again.   According to the description, they're supposed to 'age to black', so perhaps that's still coming?  (I doubt it).  

Last Fall, I planted a Lemony Lace Elderberry that we bought at the end-of-year sale at The Growing Place basically on a whim .  I've come across Elderberry shrubs before, but I didn't have them in our plan.  But, a quick Google search of the Lemony Lace Elderberry had me intrigued, so I brought it home.    This Spring, the Lemony Lace Elderberry has become a star in the garden.  F rom the purple buds that first emerged to the BRIGHT foliage in a dark spot in our garden, it has really impressed me.   So, when I came across something called a dark-foliage Elderberry that was called Eiffel Tower Black Elderberry, I was intrigued.  Here's the tag for the Eiffel Tower Elderberry: Just like with the Lemony Lace Elderberry, I went off to looking on the Web for details.  The Missouri Botanic Garden has this to say about the Black Tower Elderberry : It is an upright columnar shrub with dark stems and large serrated leaves that emerge celery green an...