3 questions - Ask Extension
1. Portugese Laurels - is there a safe herbicide that will not harm the laurel, to apply around the laurel that will eradicate weeds and grass?
2. R...
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3 questions #926466
Asked March 21, 2026, 6:50 PM EDT
1. Portugese Laurels - is there a safe herbicide that will not harm the laurel, to apply around the laurel that will eradicate weeds and grass?
2. Raspberry plants . is there a safe herbicde that will not harm the raspberry, to apply around the ground that will eradicate the weeds and grass?
3. Huckleberry plant. The attached photo is huckleberry plant, i planted about 28 years ago. Can you identify this plant? Also the berry's are small, about the size of lentil. What practices can be applied to increase the size if the berry?
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi and thanks for your multiple questions.
For the laurel and raspberry questions, here are the recommendations from "Solve Pest Problems", an Oregon State website:
Your huckleberry bush looks amazingly healthy and I'm really jealous, as I have not had good luck with huckleberries. The variety may be Vaccinium alaskaense, Alaska Blueberry or Vaccinium membranaceum, Mountain Huckleberry if it was a native plant. If it was a cultivar from a nursery, there are a couple of possibilities:
https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/vaccinium-ovatum
As to the size of the berries, huckleberries are just very small... hence the high prices of huckleberry products! You could try thinning about 1/4 of the bush out and see if that might increase the size of the berries, but it would be best to do this in the winter when the plant is dormant. It also may never have larger berries as some of these plants were grown for their greenery used in floral arrangements, not the berries.
I hope this helps,
For the laurel and raspberry questions, here are the recommendations from "Solve Pest Problems", an Oregon State website:
- Identify first. Many difficult weeds require special actions or herbicide (weed killer). Some actions could make the situation worse.
- Cover bare soil with desirable plants or 3 inches of mulch.
- Don’t just buy “Weed Killer” and start spraying. Different products work on different weeds; some won’t kill a particular weed at all.
- Prevent weeds from going to seed.
- For information on controlling invasive weeds, contact your county Weed Control program. Find contact information here: https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/Weeds/Pages/CountyWeedPrograms.aspx
Your huckleberry bush looks amazingly healthy and I'm really jealous, as I have not had good luck with huckleberries. The variety may be Vaccinium alaskaense, Alaska Blueberry or Vaccinium membranaceum, Mountain Huckleberry if it was a native plant. If it was a cultivar from a nursery, there are a couple of possibilities:
https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/vaccinium-ovatum
As to the size of the berries, huckleberries are just very small... hence the high prices of huckleberry products! You could try thinning about 1/4 of the bush out and see if that might increase the size of the berries, but it would be best to do this in the winter when the plant is dormant. It also may never have larger berries as some of these plants were grown for their greenery used in floral arrangements, not the berries.
I hope this helps,
