On Mon, 14 Sep 2009 Bertie Doe wrote:

Thanks all, I will try some cuttings and also use some seeds from the
berries. The plant that is producing the berries is in fact a tree.
It's very gnarled and must be 15' tall. It forms part of a hedgerow
between our allotments and a farmers field.

It can be persuaded to grow as a tree - I have such a one - but normally
it will grow as a bush.

I can't see any seedlings around, as I guess there's too much
competition for light, from hazel and cob. Although there is no real
problems for space as I own an allotment, are there smaller, more
compact varieties?

There are some cultivars but they are developed for their foliage rather
than their fruit. The elderberry used for its fruit is a wild one and
doesn't come in varieties, except that some bushes seem to produce
smaller fruit than others.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk