I suceeded in hacking down a purple berberis without injury. The last time I went near it I ended up in casualty having one of it's barbs removed from my index finger, that I didn't know was in there until the poison spread up my arm. The time before I attempted to go near it I ended up in casualty because in my endeavour to secateur it without injury I secateured my little finger and a blood soaked tea towel was the garb of the day.

Today I beat the bugger and it is now a distant memory.

Human 1 - Berberis 0.