In the Garden: Transplanting an Elderberry Bush

Going for a ride in the wagon!

 Right now we are waiting on yet another snow storm that should last tonight and tomorrow, which is pretty depressing, so I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears and sing a little until it's over. While I do that, I'm going to think about last week when I planted some Red Giant mustard greens, radishes, and two kinds of peas. It felt so good to be back in the dirt.

While I had the chance, I also transplanted my elderberry bushes. I had gotten them as a present from my mother a few years ago, and promptly planted them in the worst possible spot in my yard. That would be a hot, dry spot. The bad part is the dry part. Elderberries want to have their feet in the water and their faces in the sun. I happen to have a pond and a stream on my land, so I moved them down there. Right next to the wild elderberries I found last summer, growing on the edge of the pond. I hope to have a big family of them down there one day. They reproduce quickly, if given the right conditions. And they don't need much upkeep, if any at all.

You can use elderberries to make many a wonderful jelly or wine, but I mostly like the syrup. I might be dreaming, but during this epic winter, we didn't get sick once. And I think it was the elderberry syrup.

Can you see them in all this dreary brown??