Natural security for your garden
| Published: 1st April 2008 10:17 |
Your garden is your inviting haven, but it's also likely to be rather inviting to intruders too. Tool-stocked garden sheds and quality garden furniture offers rich pickings for thieves. Not only that, if you store your tools in your shed, you could be unwittingly providing thieves with the tools to gain entry into your home.
The Metropolitan Police offers homeowners and gardeners simple but effective advice to naturally secure gardens without the need for barbed-wire borders. You may not realise it, but your blooming borders and green hedges can successfully deter thieves.
"Most burglars are lazy," says the Met Police. "They look for easy ways of getting into a house or garden. By taking a few simple precautions you can reduce the risk of being burgled and make your house and garden more secure."
Some of the simple measures include securely locking away all tools and equipment. If you have valuable tools in your shed or garage, consider installing an intruder alarm and make sure you invest in secure locks that can't be unscrewed at the hinges.
The Met Police also advises that you take photographs of any valuable tools, garden plants or ornaments in the event of a theft. Also, check that your household insurance policy covers theft from your garden and outbuildings before you invest in expensive items.
One of the best ways to keep thieves out is to use nature's own defence mechanisms. A prickly hedge may be all the protection you need around your property.
Although this will take some time to grow, the end result justifies the effort. With careful and strategic planning, they should deter even the most determined burglar.
Crime prevention officers advise that hedges and shrubs in the front garden should be kept to a height of no more than one metre in order to avoid giving burglars a screen to hide behind.
Here are some suggestions for plants to use:
Prickly plants can be a powerful deterrent
- Creeping juniper (Juniperis horizontalis Wiltonii), also known as "blue rug" because it has long ground-covering branches and a thorny stem and foliage, making it suitable ground cover near the house.
- Common holly (Ilex agulfolium) is a large evergreen shrub with dark green spiked leaves that is excellent planted against vulnerable fences.
- Giant rhubarb (Gunnera manicata) has large rhubarb-like leaves on erect stems with abrasive foliage. It can grow up to 2.5m high so is ideal for securing a vulnerable fence.
- Firethorn (Pyracantha Orange Glow) is a beautiful berried shrub with a sharp and thorny stem. It is suitable for north or east-facing walls or as impenetrable hedging.
- Shrub rose (Rosa Frau Dagmar Hastrup) has excellent ground cover, pale pink flowers and very thorny stem.
Juniper (Juniperus x media Old Gold) is a ground-spreading evergreen with prickly golden-tipped foliage.
Purple berberis (Berberis thunbergil Atropurpurea) has rich purple foliage and thorny stem.
Mountain pine (Pinus mugo Mughus) is a hardy, large shrub or small tree with long sharp needles and dense, bushy foliage.
Blue pine (Picea pungens Hoopsii) is a small to medium-sized tree, with a spiky needled stem and vivid blue leaves.
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), also called Sloe, is a spiny shrub that is suitable for hedge growing.
COPYRIGHT: "This material is the copyright of Free Features Ltd and must not be used for any purpose other than intended - ie for publication with the associated sponsor's material. It cannot be sold or used for any commercial purpose outside the terms and conditions that form the contract of registration to this site."
