 A sparric is fern, a native of southern Africa, fruits heavily through winter and into spring. It's a multi-branched, prostrate perennial shrub and a vigorous scrambler that thrives in neglected gardens. People grow in almost any soil, big clay or sand and almost any situation bit hillside or swamp, sunshine or shade. Often found in galleys and along water courses, the sparric is fern as salt tolerant and it loves beaches. We have an established clump of a sparric is here. Very old clump, been here for a long time. All of red berries, the bushes are all tangled up together. So what we have to do is separate them out and find out where the root is and here it is. We have dug out an entire plant to show you what the whole thing looks like. But first, be aware that the branches of the sparric is fern have many small sharp thorns, so it is essential to wear protective gloves. The plant has three primary parts, an extensive system of underground tubers roots with attached water storage bladders. The grow outwards from the central rhizad. As do the above ground branches with their small leaves and their berries. The tubers roots and the bladders are not reproductive so you do not have to dig them out of the ground. But any part of the rhizad left in the ground will reproduce. Here it is, in there. There is the core. So we cut this relatively small part of the plant away and we bag it. And now let's get back to the real thing. First of all I am going to cut away all of the branches and foliage. This is where the bulk of the work is. Carefully cutting back each branch just above the rhizome so as to leave a circle of steams to mark the location of the rhizome. Because most branches have a large number of seeds it is easier to bag the lot. But if you find it difficult to properly dispose of this valve there is a way that is more economical of space. With your good quality gloves you can strip the seeds from the branches into the bag. Asparagus fern berries contain between one and a few seeds. These germinate very readily so collect as many as you can and bag them. As you can see there are already many small seedlings here which we will remove later on. Once the seeds are picked up we can clear the debris away from the short stems so as to see exactly where the rhizome is. Several basic tools can be used. This plasterous cutter is good for small plants but it is not strong enough for this large one. A sharp spade or matic is also good. At a gain my little digger is a bit light for this job so I will use a piece of lever. It has a hefty weight, a good cutting blade and is an excellent lever. Work around it in a circle. You can see it is beginning to lift. Come through the roots and lever in the rhizome as you go. This work is stringy but if you do it this way it doesn't take very long. Here we are it is getting loose and out it comes to be bagged. Now for those small seedlings. The plasterous cutter is good for cutting the thick mat of roots in this case but a trail will suffice. Well that plant is done it is in the bag and it has been a little hard work but look at it this way you have had some good healthy exercise out in the sun in a lovely place. You have been an eco warrior.