The Return

Rooted cuttings freshly planted in compost

May 1st, 2023 is upon us and, unlike the 60 degree day we had this time last year, it’s cold and snowy. Probably the latest date of snow that I can recall in our time in northern Michigan. And oddly enough this has come after a string of 80 degree days a couple of weeks ago.

But enough about the crazy weather. It’s crazy everywhere.

The elderberry plants don’t care. They’re right on schedule and either emerging from the roots or throwing out new leaf sets on last years’ canes. We are pushing for var. Wyldewood to take over the fields and dominate. We took 2-node cuttings this year on March 8, and they have been resting in water. Beautiful new leaves have formed from the top node, and the submerged nodes and lenticels have started forming roots! One dozen were planted in compost on April 25 in spots where var. Adams underperformed last year. We are excited to see the progress and results. We’ll keep you posted!