Lets start at the beginning.

And so for my list of herbs that I will be working with this year.
Borage            Borago officinalis
St John's Wort           Hypericum perforatum
Vervain          Verbena officinalis
Echinacea     Echinacea augustifolia
Chamomile      Matricaria chamomilla
Rosemary           Rosmarinus officinalis
Lemonbalm     Melissa officinalis
Lavender       Lavendula officinalis
Marjoram     Origanum majorana
Sage         Salvia officinalis
Nettle     Urtica dioica
Fennel    Foeniculum vulgare
Dandelion    Taraxacum officinalis
Chickweed      Stellaria media
Crabapple       Malus
Elder      Sambucus nigra
Hawthorn    Crataega monogyna
Rose    Rosa canina
Willow   Salix  caprea
Plantain, greater    Plantago major

with Elder as my ally. It grows abundantly around where I live and walk the dogs regularly, and my relationship with it in the past has not always been good, yet it still calls to me and I cannot resist collecting the berries in autumn to make wine, which I have had moderate success with. The flowers appeal but I've not yet been brave enough to try to use them again since a disasterous attempt at wine about 8 years ago. The boys call it 'the cat pee tree' and I must admit the smell does not appeal to me either. But since reading Glennie Kindred's books, I feel that it has much to offer and so this is the year to really discover the Elder.