Blackberry Bushes, the Invasive PNW Plant

Blackberry Bushes, the Invasive PNW Plant – Curb appeal and landscaping are easily one of the most talked-about features when it comes time to sell your home. Unfortunately, when calling the Pacific Northwest home, you are nearly always guaranteed to have to battle a series of invasive plants at some point along your homeownership journey, one of the most common being blackberry bushes.

While many people love the berries the plants produce, these thorny bushes can cause quite a headache for homeowners, especially when trying to maintain or improve your landscaping. Unlike many other plants, the vines of many different breeds of blackberry bushes will root into the ground wherever a vine touches, which can make digging up the bushes, containing their spread, or maintaining a garden very difficult.

For locals, or those who have called the Pacific Northwest home for their whole lives, the idea of trying to keep a blackberry bush within a garden may seem like an odd fantasy, however, other states even sell starts of the invasive bushes in garden section of popular home improvement stores. Whether you’re planning on keeping a blackberry bush to enjoy the summer ripe berries, or you are trying to remove or contain a bush from spreading into your yard and landscaping there are a few keys things that you want to pay attention to.

Always be hyper-aware of how tall and how long the vines on the bushes are growing, they grow FAST, adding to one of the many reasons why they are so invasive and difficult to control. If you want to control the spread or keep the bushes in a specific area, maintaining a certain height and always ensuring that vines are kept away from the ground to prevent additional rooting is key in ensuring the plants remain contained.

Additionally, nearly all blackberry bushes have thorns, which can be extremely unappealing to many homeowners as well as buyers. If the invasive nature of the plant isn’t enough, now thorns are in play which can cause harm to pets, children, and even adults who are trying to tend to the plant and gardens.

As with all gardening, blackberry bushes can indeed be enjoyed if cared for properly, so if you plan to have blackberry bushes on your property or find yourself purchasing a home with a plethora of blackberry vines, make sure to do your research on care tips and advice and always stay on top of routine care and maintenance.