You see yon hedge that grows thick and wild round the tower?

The Boy and I have started attacking the area behind our pine trees. First thing we did was to cut off the dead branches at the bottom of two trees such that we have a doorway into the back instead of a solid wall of trees. Since all the branches are dead up to about 8 feet off the ground, its a pretty impressive doorway. Unfortunately, there is a hawthorn bush (we think) right on the other side of where we put our door. Think 8 feet high, 10 feet wide tumbleweed made out of whippy thorn covered vines and spikey branches. I've never seen anything like it before. Its like the mutant child of a rose bush and a black locust. Yes, its all one critter, the vines connect right to the branches.

Damn thing bites too. We tried just trimming back a few branches so we could get past it and it just clamped on to anything within reach, skin, cloth, hair, anything. We both came out of there covered in thorn tracks. One would snag onto you and the next thing you know, the whole vine would be latched on, wrapping around your leg like a living thing. I'm still healing from the first encounter.

We did manage to beat back about a third of it before we decided pruning shears were not the answer. I think I'm buying my Christmas chainsaw earlier than I originally planned. Still, if I'm willing to walk through the pine branches, I can just barely get past it. Luckily, I didn't see anymore of them back there and I think I've found the area where I want to put my garden. Now to just get the weed whacker through to clear out some of the weeds.