Fruits of the Bob Gordon elderberry are bigger and sweeter than many of the other elderberry varieties. Plants are vigorous and productive. After dormancy in the winter, plants can be mowed to the ground, and they will come up again the following year and grow fruit on primocanes.
One of the most attractive things about this elderberry for Garrett County, though, is the fact that it is claimed to have some resistance to Japanese Beetles.
The Bob Gordon elderberry is a wild elderberry plant. It was collect from the wild in 1999 by Robert Gordon, Charlotte Cooper, and Andrew Thomas. It quickly became popular because of its large berry size and the fact that the berries hang under the foliage, making it harder for birds to get to them. It is currently a staple in the elderberry industry.
Elderberries have four times the antioxidants of cherries.
Although most elderberry plants are self-fertile, they will have much better yields if they have a pollinator. Pollinate with Ranch elderberry. Bob Gordon will get about 8′ tall and 8′ wide.
Buyers should be aware that all parts of the elderberry plant are poisonous, including the berries when they are raw. Elderberries MUST be cooked to be eaten. DO NOT EAT THEM RAW! This goes for all elderberries.Â
These plants are BLACK elderberry plants. DO NOT EVER consume the berries from wild RED elderberry plants as they metabolize into cyanide in the stomach.
