{"id":611967828294,"date":"2025-10-16T16:35:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/uncategorized\/cutting-back-overgrown-elderflower-in-a-mixed-hedge\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T08:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:41:26","slug":"cutting-back-overgrown-elderflower-in-a-mixed-hedge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/hedging\/cutting-back-overgrown-elderflower-in-a-mixed-hedge\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting Back Overgrown Elderflower in a Mixed Hedge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elderflower, Sambucus nigra<\/a>, inevitably finds its way into a country hedge sooner or later, and it’s far from unheard of to add it to the mix at planting time.
It is suitable for growing as a hedge plant, and is desirable for its flowers and fruit that make elderflower cordial<\/a> and elderberry syrup<\/a> respectively.<\/p>\n

However, judged purely as a hedge plant, it’s not a great choice because it tends to become a wide, woody trunk at the base, and then its branches aggressively spread out at the top. That’s alright in a rugged looking, single species Elder hedge, but in a mixed species hedge<\/a>, that means it will push aside its neighbours and eventually ruin the hedge.<\/p>\n

The most effective way to regenerate a country hedge is to have the whole thing laid professionally, during which process Elder is normally coppiced right down to ground level<\/strong>.
Even without laying the entire hedge, we can still cut the Elder right down<\/strong> to regenerate those sections where it has got too big for its own good.<\/p>\n

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