I have begun research into managing several invasive plants on my property. I am also figuring out how to marshal my resources, mostly time and energy, into a management/containment strategy for two non-native invasive plants, one just everywhere and all around a troublesome plant.

The first known challenge is the blackberry bushes. They are pretty much everywhere in the vicinity. Now I like blackberries as much, if not more than, the next person, but they are running all through the back area out of the forest behind my house, growing into my front planting beds and poking out in all kinds of unexpected places. My strategy here has been to cut them back as they annoy me or prevent me from addressing other issues. I want to develop a more intentional strategy, but right now I’m satisfied to incrementally attack as best I can.

The second known challenge is English ivy. Like the blackberries, they are running all through the back area out of the forest behind my house, growing into the north side of the house. I cut the stuff back near the house last fall, but it wasn’t nearly aggressive enough. The blackberries and the ivy have an unholy and very prickly alliance that is problematic, especially around the house and the heat pump. I have begun a more intentional approach to cutting the ivy back from those areas. My current limiting factor is the capacity of my yard waste container. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve donned head-to-toe coverage and heavy-duty gloves to protect myself from the plant’s skin-irritating oil, and made significant progress. I still have to rake out the cleared areas from stray leaves so they don’t root and propagate.

My third challenge is the Japanese knotweed. That’s going to take a more deliberate and targeted chemical approach toward the end of summer. I’m likening this to a long-term war of attrition. This is the one area where my long-term goal is eventual eradication.

I’ll be reporting on my efforts periodically.