Defensive Gardening: Nature's Home Security System

When most people think of home security, they probably think of lights, alarms and locks. However, when it comes to keeping your home secure, your garden could be the first line of defence. By incorporating certain plants and landscaping features into your garden, you can thwart potential intruders before they get anywhere near your home. Below are 4 key areas of defensive gardening.

Gravel

You should use gravel walkways in your garden rather than concrete or stone. The crunch of gravel underfoot will increase the amount of noise an intruder makes as they approach your property. This will act as a deterrent to any would-be burglar and will also help to alert you to any suspicious activity in the garden if you are home.

Prickly Plants

Planting prickly plants beneath windows will help to protect them from being used as entry points into your home. Plants such as Berberis hybrids, which have large thorns, are ideal for this task. Creeping Juniper can help to provide spiky ground cover in your garden. It isn't just the pain caused by prickly plants which acts as a deterrent; with advances in DNA identification technology, the last thing an intruder wants to do is to leave blood at the scene of a crime.

Hedges

A hedge provides an eye pleasing alternative to a large fence. When mature, larger hedges planted around the perimeter of your property will provide an impenetrable barrier against thieves. The privet hedge is ideal for this type of security. Smaller hedges, such as the boxwood, are great for planting closer to your property as another line of defence. Hedges which do not form part of the parameter wall should not be allowed to grow too high, as this can give intruders an ideal place to hide within your garden.

Water Features

As well as being decorative and providing water to local wildlife, water features can also serve an important defensive role within your property. Garden ponds can force intruders to take certain paths when they approach your property, meaning they cannot avoid the other defensive measures you have put in place. 

If you are looking for an additional way to protect your property which will be effective both day and night, incorporating defensive measures into your garden might be just what you need. By having traditional home security devices, such as lights, alarms and CCTV, as well as these extra measures of protection in your garden, you can have peace of mind that your home is safe and secure.