Slow starting blackberry bush?

[mnhunter2]

Planted a blackberry bush early last fall and it put on some buds, I covered it with straw and now I am waiting for it to start growing, it has some green bark on the lower part of the branches but no buds yet. Is there anything I can do to help get it going?

[sparcebag]

Give it time its cool yet Blackberries if I remember correctly are 2-3 weeks behind rasberries,my rasberries are 1 & 2 inch growth right now.