Himalayan Blackberries

This sketch was the start of an experiment that I hoped would last a month or two.  I've noticed that the Himalayan Blackberries that grow in my yard seem to be on steroids.  They literally grow by leaps and bounds.  Blackberries have three methods of propagating:  by seed, root, and by runners.  Runners are extra large canes that leap out of the patch, grow long, and eventually touch ground where they send down roots.  I decided to see just how fast one blackberry cane can grow.  I tied little twisties on it in three places and measured carefully.

Three days later I measured again.  No growth along established cane, but the tip had grown 6 inches in three days!  (15.2 cm)   Hmmmmm!  No wonder I have difficulty keeping my blackberries pruned back.

On day six I went out to measure again ...... but my cane had been nipped off!  There were deer dropping in the area, so I suspect one of them is the culprit.  I'd already pruned off all my other runners so my experiment came to an untimely end.

Over a hundred years ago fruit growers introduced Himalayan Blackerries  to the West Coast of the United States.  Since then then have grown wild in western Oregon and have become a delicious, but invasive nuisance.

Quick Blackberry

This week it's so hot and the air is humid and unpleasant. So not much drawing because of that. But this evening I made this watercolour. It's a Blackberry from my garden ('Thornless Evergreen') and it is very small. About 1 square inch (2,5 x 2,5 cm). It was fun to play with my brushes again.