Just as our home is our castle, so our fences or hedges are the moats which keep those with malicious intent out. Yet fences, often perceived as secure, tend to do very little to stop someone from getting in to your garden and thus, in to your shed / garage or even your home. So why do we put them up?
The simple answer is that a fence gives us a false perception of security, moreso if it also blocks line of sight into our gardens; if we can’t see beyond our fence, we believe that there really is nothing out there. We know this isn’t true, but our minds can be very susceptible to tricks like this.
The one fatal flaw in this plan is that UK planning guidelines state that a domestic dwelling fence can only be six foot in height, or seven with planning permission. Any half-interested housebreaker can easily scale a seven foot fence, because being a garden it’s unlikely to be anything more than a simple wooden fence.
So how do we stop someone from crossing that moat then?
In the United Kingdom, we are not allowed, as home-owners, to put barbed wire across our fences, or put broken glass on walls, or stick nails through boards so they come out the other side. All of this leaves you absolutely liable for criminal action against you, such as culpable and reckless conduct (Note 1) in Scotland. However, mother nature can tear someone to shreds and we can but shrug at it.
This is where defensive boundaries come in to play. The term ‘defensive boundary’ is a legally acceptable and far more pleasant way of saying, “This is going to hurt you if you try to cross it.” and nature provides options aplenty for this purpose.
The most common plant to use in a defensive boundary is Berberis, and you can find a vast number of examples if you search for the term online. They are commonly very dense bushes that can range in height and most importantly, can be very spiny and spiky. Once well established, absolutely nothing is getting through them – the sheer density makes passage impossible.
With something like Berberis, you can use it happily as a front or rear boundary, or in a tactical placement such as under a gable-end window, etc. The plant will require nurturing and maintenance as it grows and it will need to be cut in line with recommendations from sources such as the Royal Horticultural Society, but once settled and established, it provides more security than any standard wooden fence could.
It’s an incredibly cost effective way of boosting your home security, can be incredibly attractive and of course has the added benefit of supporting the local ecosystem.
It also doesn’t need painted every year!
Note 1: Deliberately exposing someone to harm or injury