I have the similar vexing combination, mine of wild raspberry vines and oriental bittersweet. It's one of the reasons I feel so strongly about using native non-invasive plants, because these species and ones like them, your honeysuckle for example, make our life as gardeners so hard and destroy so much of the natural flora (and ultimately fauna).

Anyway. I would actually recommend a full on assault to your invasive forest because it will invade your gardens. I am not a proponent of chemicals but this may be a case for them. I copied this from a website on controlling invasive plants:

Glyphosate herbicide (tradename Roundup) is the recommended treatment for this honeysuckle. A 1.5-2% solution (2-2.6 oz of Roundup/gallon water) applied as a spray to the foliage will effectively eradicate Japanese honeysuckle. The herbicide should be applied after surrounding vegetation has become dormant in autumn and before a hard freeze (250F). Roundup should be applied carefully by hand sprayer, and spray coverage should be uniform and complete. Do not spray so heavily that herbicide drips off the target species. Retreatment may be necessary for plants that are missed because of dense growth. Although glyphosate is effective when used during the growing season, use at this time is not recommended in natural areas because of the potential harm to nontarget plants. Glyphosate is non-selective, so care should be taken to avoid contacting nontarget species. Nontarget plants will be important in recolonizing the site after Japanese honeysuckle is controlled.
Crossbow, a formulation of triclopyr and 2,4-D, is also a very effective herbicide that controls Japanese honeysuckle. Crossbow should be mixed according to label instructions for foliar application and applied as a foliar spray. It may be applied at dormant periods, like glyphosate, and precautions given above for glyphosate should be followed when using Crossbow. Either herbicide should be applied while backing away from the treated area to avoid walking through the wet herbicide. By law, herbicides only may be applied according to label instructions and by licensed herbicide applicators or operators when working on public properties.

After eradicating as much as you can I would actually erect a fence as a nice backdrop to your flower beds.

Patty

I have been pondering this all day after posting this and I just came up with this type of look (I blurred it to make it mix together to get the idea out.)

{{gwi:9281}}

So do you think I need to use roundup type chemicals in the garden? I'm not a big fan of chemicals but I have bought roundup for the rasberries that keep coming down the hill. I've yet to use it but I'm getting desperate. They come back each year more & more into my garden. This year I had to dig several perennials up to separate out the rasberry roots and then replant.

Its a bit daunting though as far as the bushes go, how far back do I go with it? As I said there is almost 50 feet behind this hill of our land full of wild icky stuff.. I am sure if I leave some it will eventually come back to my garden area.

I was always concerned I'd kill the perennials down below but now that we've put the weed barrier down, maybe it will be less likely to cause harm there?

Barefoot,

Did you kill off the rasberry & bittersweet in your garden with roundup? How long do you have to wait to dig the stuff up and plant something new? I have never used chemicals like this before.

Only other thought is to hire someone with a bobcat?

You can plant about two weeks after using roundup to an area. You can also apply it carefully to the foliage of an unwanted plant with a brush, avoiding the plants around it.

I'd hire a guy with a brush cutter to clear it out, remove any stump or cut them flush with the soil, and then mow it to keep the weeds down until you decide what else you want to do with it. You can paint the cut stumps of the weed shrubs with brush killer to they don't keep sprouting.

It is your land, right? I agree that you are trying to garden next to a thug, and gentle containment tactics won't work. You should probably have a plan to replace the stuff, like a woodland incorporating trees and shrubs local to your area.

KarinL

Yes, it is my land. We had gone under the assumption we'd keep the land natural & wild until I had a better plan for the area. The bushes/trees etc does give us privacy, as we are in the middle of a neighborhood.

Thanks to all of you for your advice, I think we will be doing the fence and clearing out some of the bushes beyond, and using some roundup on the rasberries when they are where I don't want them.

I am very excited about the white fence beyond the gardens. I think that will be nice. I will post pictures when its done.

I'm glad you've found an idea you're happy with. It does have good potential. Just a nitpick about your description of that back area: it may be wild, but if those shrubs aren't native to your area, it isn't "natural!"

KarinL