Blackberry Plants

Blackberry plants. Do you think that we are going to discuss those thorny vines with the wonderfully tasty berries?

Well, perhaps just a bit which is to advise you to purchase the thorn less varieties just as I have which sure cuts down on nasty scratches.

What we are going to write about are the little known Blackberry Lilies (Belamcanda) which are actually members of the Iris family.

A dead giveaway to family membership is their Iris-like foliage.

I have been a fan of this plant since my first viewing of it in the wild in the hills north of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

No it is not a native wildflower but has simply escaped from cultivation probably in the digestive system of birds or in the coats of animals and then deposited in various locations.

I have found it growing most often at the edge of woodlands under partially shaded exposures.

Some varieties are hardy well into zone 4 while others do much better in the warmer regions.

Height of the Blackberry Lily usually ranges from eighteen to thirty six inches.

Colors range from:

• red
• orange
• reddish-orange
• yellow
• orange spotted with maroon

The name comes from the seed heads which resemble clusters of black berries.

Seeds and plants can be purchased of several varieties and if instructions are followed you can expect to experience good results.

Be sure to harvest the clusters of seeds and use them in dried floral arrangements.

Be advised that the seeds have been reported to be toxic if consumed but this shouldn’t become a problem as most of us do not eat our arrangements.