Adam's Elderberry (Bundle of 2) | Spring 2027

It helps. Adam's Elderberry is partially self-fertile, so it can set some fruit alone, but a second variety nearby makes crops more dependable. Adams sets some fruit alone, but plant a different elderberry such as John's or Ranch nearby for a much better crop. Two Adams plants are the same clone. Elderberries bloom in early summer, long after apples and plums. Partners we carry include John's Elderberry (Bundle of 2), Ranch Elderberry (Bundle of 2), Elderberry, American (Bundle of 3).

We rate Adam's Elderberry hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

About 600 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 200 and 900. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Northern elderberries probably need around 600 chill hours. Montana covers that easily, and early-summer bloom dodges most spring frosts. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

About Aug 8 to Aug 20 in Missoula, Montana (picked and dated off our own trees). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

Our top use scores for Adam's Elderberry are juice and sweet cider (9/10), jams and jellies (8/10), wine (8/10), feeding wildlife (8/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

We don't know yet. Nobody has published solid disease data on Adam's Elderberry for leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust, tomato ringspot virus and verticillium wilt, so we list it as unknown instead of guessing. That doesn't mean it's weak. Plenty of the plants we grow have never been through formal disease trials. Our berry disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Sometimes. Deer browse Adam's Elderberry now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.