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ECOLOGY
“But what about Himalayan Blackberry?”
Making holistic, place-based, process-aware choices
When Nikki Hill and I talk to people about our critique of the “invasive plant” narrative, a common response is, “But what about [fill-in-the-blank “invasive plant” they personally love to hate]?”
The misconception seems to be that, since we are arguing against judging plants solely by their place of origin, then we must be advocating for a hands-off approach across the board. Such is the current state of our culture that every single topic must be divided into for vs. against, us vs. them, my team vs. your team. I would not be surprised if the word “nuance” is soon dropped from the dictionary for becoming anachronistic. <sigh>
Nikki and I have both farmed and gardened in many different places, and we know that just about every spot under cultivation has at least one weed species that is especially tenacious. It might be bindweed, or runner grass, or thistle. Or Himalayan Blackberry. We understand the frustration that can arise from trying to extricate something that’s well established or widespread when what you want is carrots.
However, the plants themselves are not preternaturally evil or something. Everything is always context dependent.
As I’ve said before, there are no “bad plants.” There are just particular plants that particular people in particular places at particular times have disliked for particular reasons, and that’s too many particulars to paint an entire species as “bad.” In an agricultural context, mny weeds are edible or medicinal or provide for wildlife. Many were originally crops that have gone out of fashion. Many are natives. (Yes, many are natives; check out my photo essay, “#WeedsArePeopleToo: Springtime reflections on farming & its damages.”)
Some gardeners or farmers consider every single plant that is not their crop to be a weed. Nikki and I both learned over time from experience that not every uninvited guest is competitive; some are neutral and some can be beneficial, but more on that another day.
The point is that any plant must be judged within the context of one’s goal for a space. If the goal is growing plants for food or medicine or crafts, then…
