Fall 2022, we began the arduous task of reclaiming a second phase of our property in Western Washington from the invasive Himalayan blackberries. (Our first phase was an edible forest garden). The scope of the project evolved and expanded over time. Initially, I wanted to clear the space to better understand the topography, namely the flow of surface water during our rainy season. Given that the blackberries had been growing there for years, we had no idea what the land looked like underneath the massive amount of new and old canes that were at least eight feet tall in places. We live on a hillside, which ends in a sheer cliff, and given that our area is known for landslides, we want to do everything we can to shore up our soil’s stability. Since we live in the Pacific Northwest where it rains consistently for nine months out of the year, understanding, and in some cases mitigating, storm water is of utmost importance.
BEFORE: Almost all of the lower growing plants you see here are Himalayan blackberries, which can grow 20 to 40 feet long and stand 13 feet high. When they get too tall, they flop over, and the tip roots into the ground, forming yet another plant! And while the berries are tasty, this noxious, invasive plant can quickly crowd out more desirable and less aggressive plants.
It looks sad without the green of the blackberries, but this blank canvas is going to be a healthy, beautiful space again soon!
Once the blackberry canes had been cut back and I could finally see the slope of the property, I started to visualize what this section of land could become. Rather than being overtaken by blackberries that do little to support the soil structure below, I envisioned native willows with a rapidly growing root system, spreading far and wide, soaking up ground water and helping to protect the soil from erosion. I could see black tailed deer munching on native crabapples and squirrels industriously collecting native hazelnuts and storing them for winter. Although it was a massive project, I decided that now was the time to move forward with this dream of transforming this portion of our slope from a mess of thorny, invasive blackberries into a native woodland garden that strengthens our soil and supports our wildlife.
Blackberry roots have a large “heart” from which many tentacle-like roots begin, and which can stretch for several feet. Showing great resilience, if even a sliver of blackberry root is left behind, and it inevitably always is because it’s impossible to get every piece of the root system, the blackberries will regrow.
Cutting back blackberry canes and digging up their roots by hand is a back-breaking task! I learned this the hard way when I created our forest garden and am still going to physical therapy as a result. There is no way I could take on the physical task of this new project and am incredibly thankful that my neighbor Andrew agreed to be hired for the work. I couldn’t have accomplished this project without him. Over the course of a year, Andrew cut back and dug up the blackberries in about a quarter acre section, being careful to leave behind the wonderful native plants that were buried underneath the canes, trying hard to compete with the aggressive blackberries, and waiting patiently for someone to uncover them. Almost exactly one year from our start date, we began planting the new native woodland garden!
I approached this massive project with a lot of thought, wanting to be cognizant of the wildlife that use the space and careful of how the soil structure is affected. Here is my process transforming an overgrown land filled with invasive plants and turning it into a native paradise.
