"But do you have any blackberries in your garden?" Yes, yes and 'yes' again.
Blackberries surround my house, they rampage through the boundary hedges. They self-seed happily throughout the borders and I have to be careful not to grab hold of them unawares as they cut through skin very well. The seedlings (weedlings?) generally need digging out as they root deeply.
and cover the large shed. The brambles can be over one inch in diameter. When it comes to cutting them back I have to use loppers, I have even been known to take the chainsaw to the thickest ones.
Their spiney stems dangle through the trees tentacle like. Apparently they can grow to be 20 foot long, I can only confirm that the ones around my house certainly try to.
Sometimes they just give a passing scratch, other times they go full-on triffid and whip out at me when I least expect it.
To say that a blackberry stem is spiny not giving the full extent of their abilities. Technically they are not covered in thorns, they are prickles. Somehow prickle does not sound vicious enough. They are probably one of the scratchiest plants in my garden. They can hook on and hang on to clothing, they successfully nick the skin. They create a natural barbed wire that is prettier and more friendly to bees, birds and wildlife than the metal versions.
and they taste wonderful with apples in crumble, or in jam - so they are forgiven, always.
