Living in the Pacific Northwest is very different from living in Texas and I've found another difference. . .there are TONS of blackberry bushes up here ! It's like kudzu, only with ginormous thorns and sweet berries.
Having said that, I set myself a goal this year of ripping most of it out of our backyard. Not ever having lived with blackberries, I had no idea that they were so pervasive and invasive. What that means is -- if you leave them alone at any point, there is the distinct possibility that you will return to find them smoking cigarettes, drinking Mad Dog, and holding squirrels hostage. Yeah. . . the squirrels are fine, but they were still definitely bad news.
I put on my leather gloves and went to work. I have ripped out, by the roots, approximately twelve gazillion "runners". It could be less than that, but. . . no, it's twelve gazillion. Of course, that's only half the backyard, so I still have some work to do. In doing so, I have uncovered ferns, small trees, more ferns, Jimmy Hoffa, and a family of leprechauns.
The plan is, with most of the blackberry runners eradicated and the remaining woody stems tied up to a system of lattice work so that they will be off the ground and the berries will be easier to pick next year, I can start laying out pathways and flat spaces and marking where I want the little bridge to go. We have a little "rill" in our backyard -- it's actually just a cut in the backyard, but I plan to bed it with small river rocks, both to increase the water flow (like a French drain) and to improve the aesthetics. This will also keep most of the tree trash from damming up and looking terrible, I hope.
Anyhow, between the blackberries and the new kitty, I think I will be headed to the blood bank in the next few days -- I'm pretty sure that I'm due for that transfusion.
Thoughts ?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Ya know, if you lived in the desert you wouldn't have the whole "overrun by plants" issue.
Post a Comment