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Hi

Just a quickie, when will the elderflowers start to bloom ?

Thanks as always

Mid May onwards in my neck of the woods. Elder trees are just starting to unfurl leafs at the moment so not long now.

usually early June here.. but was May last year after unusually warm April


I have been out and inspected the elders and they have little flower buds

Hi thanks, I thought it was around May/June as I remembered from last year, but as we had the 'heatwave' in April, I did think it may have had an effect on the flowers.

Thanks

At last it's really starting to come out properly on my usual routes, so much so that today I've got my first batch of cordial on the go, hurray!

They are out in force around my area. I'm going to mark them down and go back later and get the berries for jam. I might get some flowers and have a go at the elderflower champagne recipe somebody posted.

i *think* there is an elderflower tree overhanging our allotment. but its all mixed in with others so im finding identification tricky. it has some fairly full blooms but we are in the south and its been pretty warm. im just not certain whether it is an elderflower or not! i've never really been in contact with one before!

looking forward to them coming out up here - not seen any flowers yet.

eccentric_emma wrote:i *think* there is an elderflower tree overhanging our allotment. but its all mixed in with others so im finding identification tricky. it has some fairly full blooms but we are in the south and its been pretty warm. im just not certain whether it is an elderflower or not! i've never really been in contact with one before!

Elder is one of the easier trees to identify, but I can see how if you've not been exposed to one before it could be tricky. Here are a few things to look out for. The leaves are quite soft and are slightly serrated, and usually a nice dark green. The leaves and flowers grow on new growth, which is green and not woody, and the more woody parts (not the main branches but the twiggier bits) aren't solid wood, but are soft and pithy inside. Obviously, you'd need to cut a twig or two off to check. The pithy part is usually easily removed, leaving a hollow twig.
Oh! And the flowers are tiny and creamy-white and arranged in clusters. They have a very distinctive scent that can be described as anything from musky to cat's pee! Hope that helps you out.

By running around pretending to be a leper, I have managed to keep you flower-scroungers away from my favourite elders. More berries for me, then. MWAAAHHHH!!!!!

Been sampling the wine much today MKG?

I was in the same boat, Emma, but we bought a bottle of elderflower wine and some cordial a while ago and after that I could recognise the smell of the flowers.

thanks everyone your advice has been a great help. i think i may try buying a bottle of cordial and comparing smells. im 99% sure its elderflower!