Can anything be done to revive them? I have to give a progress report
next Saturday and it's not looking good!

Dave


Since your mum's a gardener, Dave, I'm sure she already knows that they
will take more than a week to recover. Just keep watering them; maybe
even mulch them to retain as much moisture as possible *and* suppress
weeds. She will know you're doing your best for them.

Keep an eye out for tiny new basal growth shoots on the Sambucus. All but
the youngest stems on Sambucus are hollow, and this may be part of the
reason why it is taking less quickly. It is impossible to root cuttings
from the hollow stems of Sambucus (new, solid tissue growth is used), and
I am guessing that this hollow stem structure is what's hindering the
plant now. Generally, though, Sambucus are tough plants so just keep up
with the tlc.

Good luck.
Spider

I was given a few shrubs and they looked as dead as dead can be, I put them
each in a bucket of water for a week or two and they soon started to pick
up and are now as good as new, not the usual way of dealing with plants I
know but if all else fails it might be worth giving it a go, good luck

kate