General Culture:

Best grown in medium to wet, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates a wide range of soils, but prefers moist, humusy ones. Spreads by root suckers to form large colonies. Prune suckers as they appear unless naturalizing. Large number of late winter pruning options include (a) pruning out dead or weakened stems, (b) shortening one-year stems or (c) cutting back to the ground to rejuvenate. Regular pruning of the foliage of this cultivar will promote growth of additional purple leaves.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

'Guincho Purple' is a purple-leaved cultivar of black elder. It is a large, upright, deciduous shrub which typically grows 8-15' tall. Compound pinnate leaves (3-7 leaflets each) emerge purple in spring but fade to green in summer before turning attractive shades of purple and red in fall. Tiny pink-tinged flowers appear in large flattened cymes (to 8" across) in June. Flowers give way to clusters of black elderberry fruits in late summer. Fruits are sometimes used to make jams and jellies, but are not considered to be as flavorful as the American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis). Fruits are attractive to wildlife. Purplish-red stems.

Problems:

Some susceptibility to canker, powdery mildew, leaf spot, borers, spider mites and aphids. Branches are susceptible to damage from high winds or from heavy snow/ice in winter.

Uses:

Good accent shrub featuring purple leaves, attractive flowers, showy fruits and good fall color. Shrub borders, screens or backgrounds. Particularly effective in wild/naturalized areas or open woodland gardens where suckering spread is usually acceptable. Good shrub for stream/pond peripheries or low spots.

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