When to plant elderberries in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant elderberry shrubs Mar 1 – Apr 26. In Bend: Apr 28 – Jun 23. Find your city below.

Difficulty: Easy
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Spacing: 6 to 8 feet apart
Planting depth: Same depth as in the pot
Frost: Hardy perennial; comes back every year
First harvest: Some berries in year two; full crops from year three

Fast, tough shrubs for flowers, birds and syrup. The berries must be cooked before eating, and the leaves, stems and unripe berries are toxic. Native red elderberry is not for eating.

Elderberries planting dates

City	Plant in the garden
Portland, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Eugene, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 15

Find your town

Portland area, OR 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Gresham, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR	Mar 5 – Apr 30
Oregon City and West Linn, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Portland, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
St. Helens and Scappoose, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Wilsonville and Canby, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Willamette Valley, OR 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Corvallis and Albany, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Cottage Grove, OR	Mar 13 – May 8
Eugene, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
McMinnville and Newberg, OR	Mar 4 – Apr 29
Salem, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Southern Oregon, OR 4 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Ashland and Talent, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Grants Pass, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Medford, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Roseburg, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Oregon Coast, OR 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Astoria, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Brookings and Gold Beach, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Coos Bay and North Bend, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Newport and Lincoln City, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Tillamook, OR	Mar 25 – May 20

Central Oregon and the high desert, OR 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Burns, OR	Apr 30 – Jun 25
Klamath Falls, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Lakeview, OR	Apr 23 – Jun 18
Madras, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Prineville, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15

Columbia Gorge and eastern Oregon, OR 9 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Baker City, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Enterprise and Joseph, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Hermiston, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
Hood River, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
John Day, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
La Grande, OR	Apr 1 – May 27
Ontario, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
Pendleton, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
The Dalles, OR	Mar 20 – May 15

Seattle and Puget Sound, WA 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Everett, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Olympia, WA	Mar 18 – May 13
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Shelton, WA	Mar 16 – May 11

North Sound and the islands, WA 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Anacortes, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Bellingham, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Olympic Peninsula and coast, WA 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Forks, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Port Angeles, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Port Townsend, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Sequim, WA	Mar 10 – May 5

Southwest Washington, WA 3 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Centralia and Chehalis, WA	Mar 11 – May 6
Longview and Kelso, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Vancouver, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Wenatchee and the Okanogan, WA 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Chelan, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Leavenworth, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Omak and Okanogan, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Wenatchee, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Winthrop and Twisp, WA	Apr 3 – May 29

Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, WA 8 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Ellensburg, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Ephrata and Quincy, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Goldendale, WA	Apr 7 – Jun 2
Moses Lake, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Walla Walla, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Yakima, WA	Mar 27 – May 22

Spokane and eastern Washington, WA 3 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Colville, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Pullman, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 27

How to grow elderberries

Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well, and mix in an inch or two of compost.
Plant elderberry shrubs on your city's dates, 6 to 8 feet apart. Same depth as in the pot.
Plant two varieties for better crops. Water through the first summer, and cut out old, weak canes in late winter to keep the shrub productive.
Harvest: Cut whole clusters when nearly all the berries are dark and soft. Strip the berries off the stems and cook them before eating.

Popular elderberries varieties

Widely sold picks that do well somewhere in Oregon or Washington. The tag says which side of the mountains suits each one best.

Blue elderberry

Native, large shrub · Ripens late summer

The Northwest native with dusty blue berries that make excellent syrup when cooked. It feeds birds and pollinators and handles summer drought once established.

Both sides

York

American, large berries · Ripens late summer

One of the largest-fruited American elderberries, with big, heavy clusters. Plant with Adams or Nova for pollination.

Both sides

Adams

American, heavy cropper · Ripens late summer

A vigorous, productive variety with large clusters of dark berries that ripen together. A good partner for York.

Both sides

Nova

American, sweet · Ripens late summer

A compact, productive elderberry with relatively sweet berries for syrup and jam. Partners well with York or Adams.

Both sides

Key numbers

6–12 feetShrub size
Most, even dampSoil
Year 2–3First crops
Raw berries and stemsBiggest risk

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Which elderberries to grow

Blue elderberry is native across much of the Northwest, from sunny west-side valleys to the dry east side, and its berries are the edible kind when cooked. American and European elderberry varieties like York, Adams and Nova are bred for bigger fruit clusters and grow well on both sides of the Cascades. Red elderberry, the common native on the west side, is lovely for birds but its berries are not for eating.

Safety in the kitchen

Elderberry leaves, stems, roots and unripe berries contain compounds that can cause nausea and vomiting. Strip ripe berries off every bit of stem (freezing the clusters first makes it easy), and always cook them into syrup, jam or pie. The flowers are also edible and make a classic cordial.

Planting and care

Elderberries are fast, tough shrubs that tolerate damp soil, some shade and neglect. Plant two varieties for better crops, water through the first summer and keep mulch around the shallow roots. Canes fruit best in their second and third years; cut out older ones at ground level in late winter. They spread by suckers, so give them room or mow around them.

Common questions about growing elderberries

Can you eat raw elderberries?

No. Raw berries can cause stomach upset. Cook them first, and remove all stems and leaves.

Is the native red elderberry edible?

Its berries are not recommended for eating. Grow blue elderberry or a fruiting variety like York or Adams if you want berries.

Do I need two elderberry plants?

Most set some fruit alone, but you'll get much bigger crops with two different varieties planted near each other.

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