HELP - What can I plant for security in my garden

Hi All

Me and my husband have recently brought a house with a rather large garden, 15ft by 130ft approx. We previously lived in a flat so arn't used to having a garden..

At the very end of the garden, there is a pathway which runs alongside the back of some new houses. However, the pathway is probably set apprx 2ft higher than the level of our garden, which means people can see into and come over into our garden.

We think people are actually coming into the garden over the back fence and would really like to plant something quite prickly and dense to protect the garden a little more.

At the back of the garden, there is a soiled area apprx 5ft by 13ft to plant whatever we want to. In front of this space, there is a brick built base, which is approx 13ft by 13ft and approx 3 ft high.

Whatever we plant, we want to have an instant-ish effect. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? Also, can anyone recommend any suppliers? We live between Birmingham and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands.

Many thanks and apologies for the long message!

Jennie

rosa rugosa

Reply from john king

I replied to another request for advice on what to plant as a boundary hedge and also advised them to plant rosa rugosa, you buy small (dead looking) twigs about a foot long with roots obviously and plant them now with plenty of well rotted manure to get them going and within 2 years you'll have a hedge that only a fool would try to climb through, also you will have a beautiful hedge which will give you years of pleasure, the scent from the roses is outrageous and you can gather the hips in autumn to make wine and buying in winter you can get plants bare root for pennies, its many years since I planted a rose hedge at my last house (still there) but I do remember I got the plants mail order from the "sun" or something and they were dirt cheap

Another option

Reply from Kathy C

Hi, Jennie
I agree with John, Rosa rugosa is a beautiful choice to use as a hedge. Another option, and one that is evergreen rather than deciduous, is Pyracantha (firethorn). It will give you flowers, berries - with red, orange and yellow to choose from, and foliage all year. It responds well to pruning (they can even be trained up walls) and most importantly for a security hedge, it has big, stay-away-from thorns! Also, they are pretty much low maintenance. There are so many cultivars available now to choose from so you can really get specific with what you want.
No matter what you choose, you will probably have to spend a bit up front for an instant-ish effect. I'm not from your area so am a bit clueless on suppliers but if you look in an RHS plant finder or use their online plant finder search (www.rhs.org.uk/RHSPlantFinder) you should be able to find local suppliers. Good luck and happy hunting!
Kathy C

Blackberry

Reply from Toby Arnold

Blackberries could be another option, depending on the look of your garden. You can get (mostly) thornless varieties and go for a thicker hedge or something spiky and quick growing that you can keep trimmed thinner. Plus you get a nice crop of blackberries.
My Dad planted Himalayan Giant to stop sheep escaping through hedges - it is very thorny and pretty quick growing.

HELP - What can I plant for security in my garden

Reply from Marissa Zoppellini

Hi Jennie

Welcome to the world of gardening! I agree that the rose is a lovely idea and will put forward another suggestion of Mahonia. There are quite a few cultivars, have a look on this website, Mahonia x media 'Charity' is a good one. It is a tough evergreen with prickly leaves and fragrant yellow flowers and is good if the position is shady.

All the best, Marissa

Security Hedge/Screen

Reply from Veneda Harris

I was thinking a mixed planting of holly & pyracatha.

You may find this website useful
http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/securityhedging.html