Hi All! My husband & I just moved into our first home & after a week of unpacking, I rewarded myself with an evening in the backyard, trimming bushes and scoping out the potential new garden spots. The previous owners clearly did not do anything in the backyard (other than mow) so the bushes are very overgrown and difficult to identify. There are three large bushes with similar shaped leaves. I scanned a leaf from two different bushes and was hoping perhaps someone might be able to help me identify them. My mother-in-law suggested they were wild mulberry bushes, but from the pictures I have found on line, the leaves are not a match. These may be small trees that have just never been trimmed properly. At this point it is difficult to tell. The leaves are dull (not shiny) and rounded. The branches are thin. Your feedback and ideas are greatly appreciated. Happy Gardening! Julie ;->
Thank you for your feedback. If they are mulberry bushes should we pull them out or do they have some redeeming qualities? My mother-in-law suggested just getting rid of them...
Hi Julie, Congratulations on your new home! Mulberry leaves can be variable in shape. If these are indeed mulberry I would say to pull them out. They are a great source of food for birds but are quite invasive. Red mulberry - has hairs on the underside of leaves and are dull green and rough to the touch. http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/RedMulberry/RedMulberry.htm http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/trees/morrub01.htm http://volusia.org/arboretum/Trees/red_mulberry.htm White mulberry has smooth leaves and are shiny on the above side of the leaf. http://www.niles-hs.k12.il.us/amile...sa Plant Project 2003/White Mulberry Tree.htm http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/trees/moralb01.htm Newt
