Good fences protect a property but can also provide cover for a thief. It is recommended that you have:
- A low hedge or open fence at the front of your home to make it harder for a thief to be hidden and increases your visibility.
- At the rear of your house a strong fence 1.8 metres (6ft) high with an open trellis on top making it more difficult for a thief to climb as it creates noise and attracts attention.
- A hedge of prickly shrubs can be an effective deterrent, but make sure your property can still be seen so a burglar can not hide.
- Fit a strong, lockable high gate across passageways to stop a thief getting access to the rear of your home.
- Don’t build pergolas, gazebos etc near to the house allowing access to upper windows.
Plants can be especially useful when trying to prevent access over fences and walls or under windows.
They are environmentally friendly and can attract wildlife to your garden. Train branches along tops of fence to make it harder for anyone attempting to climb over.
The following will give you an idea of the sort of plants you can use to protect your home and garden:
- Common Hawthorn (Crataegus Monogyna) – this plant forms an impenetrable barrier and is fast growing. Berbaris – this plant has sharp spine like prickles which are barely visible and grows 1.2 to 1.8 metres tall.
- Common Gorse (Ulex Europaeus) – this plant is viciously spiny and grows 1.2 to 1.8 metres tall.
- Rose – these are densely prickly for hedges or individual shrubs and grown up to 2 metres tall. The climbing or rambling varieties are useful to give added protection to walls, fences and drainpipes.
- Holly – has spiked leaves and can be planted in any area that needs added protection.
- Pampas Grass – is an excellent plant to put in a vulnerable corner as it has razor sharp leaves.
- Pyracantha – is a large evergreen shrub with thorny branches and is excellent for hedging, growing under windows or around doorways.
- Winter Sun (Mahonia Bealei)– a prickly evergreen shrub which gowns between 1.2 to 18 metres tall.
- Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides) – grows in any soil, is wind resistant with silver foliage and excellent thorns. It is large and provides superb cover.
Don’t let your hedge grow too tall so that an intruder can hide behind it, also add gravel to your garden path. This low cost (and low maintenance) technique will deter a burglar because gravel is so noisy; the sound of someone walking on gravel at night will carry very well and could easily wake someone or a family dog.
