In my mobile home park, they put the mobile homes right on the lot lines so that if you need to go out your back door, you end up in your next door neighbor's yard. My next door neighbor needed access out his back door because in the winter there were times when the snow was piled up on his deck so high that he couldn't open his front door. I told him it was fine with me if he put steps out his back door even though they would actually be in my yard. Unfortunately, right where the steps were going to end there was a big patch of out-of-control blackberry vine. It wasn't anything I had planted, it just started growing; obviously it had to go.
There are four species of blackberry vine that are considered weeds. I think mine was what they call Himalaya blackberry, a nonnative species, which has clusters of three leaves. (The others are cutleaf blackberry, also a nonnative, and two native species, California blackberry, and thimbleberry.)
Do you see the thorns??
I had gloves on, but forgot to wear long sleeves. My left arm got scratched up pretty good. There's a reason wild blackberry species are also known as brambles!
I pulled everything out by the roots, but probably didn't get it all. Reading various articles it sounds like weed killer is about the only thing that can get rid of it completely. I think we're good for this year, but next year I may have bring out the big guns! I'll be keeping a close eye on it this fall.
The new stairs are almost finished and Van Gogh, one of the feral cats, wasted no time in checking them out and showing his approval.
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