Right Plant, Wrong Place: Blackberry


We've had an invasion from all quarters at VP Gardens recently which has crept up unnoticed until now. This summer's wet weather has kept me indoors a lot more and it's only in the past couple of weeks I've found lots of enormous brambles coming into the garden over the trees and shrubs. The pictured blackberries have come in from the neighbours behind us and there's quite a few more out front coming over from the public land next door.

The reason why I've noticed now is because we've been feasting on the blackberries, which is what makes it the right plant. However, it's beginning to take over the garden somewhat which makes it wrong place. I'm going to have to call upon NAH to squeeze himself behind the fence to do some major chopping work pretty soon, especially as the pigeons have also found the feast on offer and I don't want to have to dig up lots of mini bramble next spring.

When I was at Karen's recently, she mentioned de-thorned bramble is an excellent alternative for willow weaving. Now I love willow weaving, but being torn to shreds ripping out the bramble I have been able to get to doesn't really put me in the mood to give it a go this time.

What's crept up on you unnoticed in your garden this year?


Comments

  1. Alison Levey27 August 2012 at 08:54

    Like you I have huge brambles invading the garden this year, arching through the hedge and razor sharp.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP27 August 2012 at 08:57

    Hi Papaver - they really seem to be on the march this year. They're all over the estate and not just in the hedgerows. Another side effect of our wet spring and summer perhaps?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emma27 August 2012 at 09:03

    I noticed yesterday I have parsley seedlings popping up in the cracks on the patio ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. VP27 August 2012 at 09:04

    Hi Emma - pot them up immediately and take them with you to Kent :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dobby27 August 2012 at 11:38

    Weeds & moss. I would have bare patches of soil in my garden (where things haven't grown 'cause of the weather), but they are coved in weeds & moss. Oh, and the forget me knots seem to be thriving and popping up everywhere as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous27 August 2012 at 14:22

    Brambles here too. Actually I got so fed up with one coming back again and again that a few years ago I let it grow into a bush and now get gorgeous fruit every year. Might be worth rearranging the garden to give a renegade blackberry some room. Otherwise, this year seems to have been particularly kind to ground elder (grr!).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anna27 August 2012 at 16:36

    I have one of those too which provided some welcome pickings to scatter on top my porridge this morning. We have a big area of uncultivated land behind us and the dividing hedge is made of privets, dog roses, elder and brambles which have all crept this year :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. VP27 August 2012 at 16:49

    Dobby - ah, I forgot the weeds and moss, especially the moss...

    Helen - one of them has spread itself fountain-like over the top of my tall shrubs. Now if I could reach the fruit, I'd be tempted to give your idea a go and leave it there!

    Anna - your dividing hedge sounds very similar to ours. We used to have a massive elder coming through from the neighbours behind us but it was interfering with our apple tree. Shame, 'cos it was rather nice being able to gather elderflowers to make cordial straight from the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Janet/Plantaliscious29 August 2012 at 09:56

    Brambles here too, thanks to the neighbouring park and the unkempt area behind our neighbour's fence. No fruit though, so just the pain and annoyance. We also have bindweed... And more sycamore seedlings than I can count, can't move for them!

    ReplyDelete
  10. VP29 August 2012 at 10:09

    Janet - we have ash, sycamore and birch to deal with. A small price to pay for having a wooded area nearby which I can 'borrow' to make the back garden look bigger

    ReplyDelete

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