This was the first part of the yard I started working on and  my introduction to gardening. I call it the Secret Garden as it is hidden out of view-point behind the shed from the rest of the yard.

In 2016 it was completely taken over by Himalayan blackberry bushes, a sad state. Back to square one.

{2008}

{2015}

{2016}

Was incredibly worse as far as invasion progressed and I couldn’t bare to take photos. It took two full weekends to hack them down.

The story behind my gardening nemesis….the Himalayan blackberry.

“People keep trying to kill it, and it keeps coming back,” Shaw says. “It really has everything going for it in terms of an invasive plant.”