Yes, mulberries can be very messy if the ripe purple fruits are allowed to fall onto anything that shouldn't be stained purple. do not plant mulberries next to a driveway, where you park your car, a patio, or pavement. When mulberries are perfectly ripe, they fall, or, they are eaten by birds, who can spread the purple over an even wider area. As we live on a farm or homestead property, we have no problems with mulberries being messy. The best way to stop the mess is to prune your mulberry so that all branches are low enough to reach, and to pick the ripe fruit daily in season, before the fruit can fall. Mulberries will also stain clothes and fingers purple, but it should wash out.