This ornamental elder is a superb shrub for small and medium sized gardens sambucus nigra f porphyrophylla 39black tower39 is dense and compact with an upright column like habit making it ideal for smaller garden borders or as a stand alone specimen its leaves emerge green in colour then change to deep burgundy in summer the bush is covered in clusters of small pink flowers carried in large panicles dark glossy berries grow in late summer and provide a great food source for garden