Earlier this year, I was at a bee school session when a lady pulled up and popped her trunk. She said there were elderberry bushes growing in her yard that were going WILD so she cut them back and brought cuttings to share with any plant-loving beekeeper that wanted them. MEEEEEE! I’d never grown elderberry, but it had been on my wishlist.

I got home with the cuttings and did a quick, internet deep dive into propagating from cuttings. I cut the long pieces into multiple shorter pieces and planted some in pots and some in-ground. Then, I waited to see if my experiment would be successful. Yep! It wasn’t long before greenery began popping up from the soil.

I’d read that elderberry was an “irresistable treat” for squirrels, raccoons, birds, and more. That may’ve been the understatement of the year! The critters aren’t damaging the plants though, so they continue to grow. Looks like I need to increase my number of elderberry plants next year so I’ll have enough for us and them😉.