"Claire Petersky" . wrote in message I have some salmonberry bushes. It
started with a single volunteer, and now
I have several. They're in a good spot, really, right at the edge of the
garden, where there's a drop-off. I have read that salmonberry is useful
for
stablizing slopes, and it is a slope that needs stablizing. So, as a
native
plant, I've let them be.

Since they've spread without too much difficulty, I have some concern
about
them being invasive. A few clumps growing along the fence and under the
vine
maple and fir is fine, but I'm afraid I let them go entirely, they'd turn
into a thicket.

Salmonberries are a member of the rubus family. Since this is the time of
year I'd be prunining roses, I figured it was a good time to prune the
salmonberries too. I hacked them down to about a meter in height. Do you
think this would be effective in keeping them in check? Or is it just
going
to encourage them to grow more?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky

This is probably not much help, but here are some things I learned
about salmonberries in the Pacific Northwest. We had them lining both sides
of the narrow dirt road to a cabin on Orcas Island. They did indeed form a
formidable thicket that arched over the road, and had to be trimmed out each
spring just to drive down the road without scratching up the vehicle.
The berries themselves attracted all manner of wildlife, but were often
too high to harvest or pick for our own personal enjoyment. (birds thought
it was a perfect solution)
Finally, in desperation, we started hacking them off, right at ground
level with a long-handled bypass pruner. New growth was immediate, and the
much shorter canes got sunlight and did not arch over the road. Berries were
more productive, accessible, and now the deer had a chance to get at them.
Short story is that I don't know how good they are at stabilizing
ground, but I do know that left unattended, they will (in this climate) take
over any open area you permit, seeking sunlight in a thicket (the deer like)
15 to 20 feet high.
Never tried to kill or eliminate them, but I suspect it's possible.
They did not grow well in the dirt road, filled with well rotted shale rock,
and driven over 8 or 10 times a year.
Old Chief Lynn
Salmonberries Forever