American Elderberry Cuttings are available to pre-order starting in September/October for early spring shipment the following year. American Elderberry Cuttings are shipped in January & February of 2025.

Due to the nature of the plants, you will not receive an exact date of shipping. All orders will ship out in January and February of 2025 and cuttings should be planted then.

Read below to learn more about each selection we have available:

American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

1. Adams

2. Bob Gordon

3. Pocahontas (only available in 3pks)

4. Ranch

5. Wyldewood

6. Limited stock of Nova & York

About Your Cuttings:

Elderberry cuttings from River Hills Harvest are all American elderberries, or Sambucus canadensis. You can be assured they have come from a disease free environment from plants that are used in our own elderberry products. They are certified nursery stock.
Dormant hardwood cuttings are made when the plant is in their dormant state and will ship to you as dormant sticks. They do not have roots established yet, they need to be planted in cold weather before the 2nd week in March.
Cuttings will be shipped in bags with moist sphagnum moss.
You may keep cuttings in your refrigerator until your ground is thawed and you're ready to plant.
Dormant hardwood cuttings should be planted no later than the 2nd week of March, outdoors in soil.
Cuttings should be kept constantly moist, if they dry out even for a few hours they may not make it.
We will include planting instructions in each order. Visit our Resources page or Blog page for more information about dormant hardwood cuttings.

About American elderberries, Sambucus canadensis:

In general, elderberries can reach around 10' tall in Northern states while they can reach up to 15' tall in Southern states.
They thrive and produce the most in full sun but can grow well in part shade.
Elderberries are going to prefer a soil pH between 5.5 and 7.5.
They prefer a moist soil with lots of organic material. They do well irrigated but can also do without.
It is not required to have two different varieties to pollinate.
Native to the US, Sambucus canadensis berries are able to be processed using cooler temperatures than the European native, Sambucus nigra.

About River Hills Harvest elderberry cutting selections:

Adams 2
- Early ripening with very large clusters of purplish/black berries. Sweeter than most elderberries and somewhat self-fruitful. One of the oldest cultivars from New York. These plants are tall with excellent yields.
- Adams typically grow between 8 and 10 feet tall.
- Indeterminate
Bob Gordon
- The new cultivar Bob Gordon had a larger berry than Adams. The Bob Gordon was the number one producer in trials and researchers are confident Bob Gordon is a truly superior cultivar for the Midwest and other areas of the country.
- Higher brix, and often chosen for the sweetness in the berries; great for wine.
- Recumbent ripe berry heads that are more shielded from birds.
- Determinate
- Grows 6 to 8 feet tall.
Pocahontas
- Pocahontas is a fast-growing vigorous cultivar that is extremely prolific, featuring large flower cymes and berry-heads. Big yields in a hurry. However, it blooms a bit later than other genotypes, so shorter-season plantings may find that berries may not ripen.
- Cuttings are sold in 3 packs only.
- Pocahontas elderberries typically grow 12 feet or taller.
Ranch
- This hardy short plant seems to be most tolerant to harsh conditions. The stockiness provides a lower fruiting canopy for those short pickers. Single stemmed. Tends to grow upright and is not bushy.
- One of the strongest elderberry cultivars, very woody and grows well on less fertile soils.
- Grows 5 to 6 feet tall.
- Determinate
Wyldewood
- A vigorous producer that is first to reach bud break in spring and is the latest to ripen. Tends toward having three umbrels on each stem. WW1 came in second at university trials and showed a potential of 12,000 pounds per acre. This will be the first varietal released by the University of Missouri. This is our main commercial variety. Its unique processing properties and high yields make it the most popular.
- Indeterminate
- Grows 6 to 10 feet tall.

Visit these places to learn more about planting and growing dormant hardwood elderberry cuttings:

Are your cuttings from River Hills Harvest guaranteed to grow?

We want everyone to be successful with River Hills Harvest plants, however planting and caring for dormant hardwood cuttings requires specific, constant care. Here are the conditions you must follow in order to receive a refund or replacements:
- Cuttings must be planted before the 2nd week of March.
- Cuttings must be planted in the soil, outside. They may be started in a covered, unheated greenhouse as well. Never indoors or in water.
- Cuttings need to be kept constantly moist, this is why mulch is recommended, and daily watering.
- We cannot help if you have let your plant dry out, or planted it in the wrong conditions.
- Last, if you see your elderberry is not growing, we ask that you let us know around June of 2025, this would give you a few months window to determine if it is growing or not. We do not guarantee replacements, but we will do our best.
- Visit our Policies page to learn more about replacement requests.

American Elderberry Cuttings Pre-Order

From $11.99

Quantity

Cuttings for the growing season will begin to ship out in January of 2025 and go through February.

Due to the nature of plants, you will not receive an exact shipment date. We will choose to ship when the plants are ready. We will begin to ship orders on a first come first serve basis in January until orders are complete.

You'll receive an email update with tracking information once your order has been shipped. We will ship them out by date of order, so get your order in now to be first in line.
Visit these places to learn more about planting and growing dormant hardwood elderberry cuttings:

Our Resources Page

Blog: Planting Dormant Hardwood Cuttings

Blog: American Elderberries, How to Buy

Growers Guide Download
Dormant hardwood cuttings of American elderberries are the best way we have found to start growing them. These are dormant sticks that contain two sets of nodes. We take the cuttings when the elderberries are completely dormant, generally in January. The cuttings are cut to size, treated for insects, sanitized then stored in bags with moist sphagnum moss in a cooler. You will need to establish the roots on your dormant cuttings, as they will not have them yet when they arrive. It is important that you plant them in the soil in cold/cool weather early in the year, and that they are kept constantly moist while they are establishing roots.
If you begin with dormant hardwood cuttings you will need to give the plant lots of care while it is establishing roots and growing. It is easy, but does require constant water and being planted in the right conditions. Cuttings are the best value when it comes to buying American elderberries, but established plants and bare roots also offer less labor and a higher success rate. Rooted cuttings have established roots but are only a few months old. Bare root plants and rooted cuttings are already established, all you need to do is get them in the soil. Bare root plants are already 1 year ahead and are ideal for planting in the fall, they are often purchased because of their high success rate and their age.
Yes, all of our elderberry selections are American black elderberries. These are Sambucus canadensis, or the proper term: Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis. Our selections were once selected from the wild and have gone through years of trials on our farms and with the help of The University of Missouri. The selections we choose to grow have proven to be heavy producers, resist certain pests and diseases better than others and have been growing well on our farms for over 20 years.