Home Security perimeter defensive planting

[NorthernRaider]

Natural Protection/Defensive Planting


Using naturally vicious plants to protect your garden perimeter is one of the best low maintenance long term projects you can adopt as a prepper, even apartment dwellers can train thorny plants around the edge of the balcony if you have a balcony of course.

A barrier of prickly hedge may be all the protection you need around your property. Here are some suggestions for plants to use.
o Creeping Juniper Juniperis horizontalis 'Wiltonii' - Also known as 'Blue Rug' because it has long branches and its prostrate shape forms a flattened blue carpet. It has a thorny stem and foliage.
o Blue Spruce Picea pungens 'Globosa' - Rigid branches, irregular dense blue, spiky needles. Height 1-1.25m x 75cm - 1 m. Slow growing. Moist rich soil.
o Common Holly Ilex agulfolium - Large evergreen shrub, dark green spiked leaves. Large red berries on female plants only. Any well drained soil. Plant with garden compost and bone-meal.
o Giant Rhubarb Gunnera manicata - Giant rhubarb-like leaves on erect stems, abrasive foliage. Can grow up to 2.5m high. Plant by water-side for effect.
o Golden Bamboo Phyllostachys aurea - Very graceful, forming thick clumps of up to 3.5m high. Less invasive than other bamboos. Hardy. Young shoots in spring.
o Chinese Jujube Zizyphus sativa - Medium sized tree with very spiny pendulous branches. Leaves glossy bright green. Bears clusters of small yellow flowers.
o Firethorn Pyracantha 'Orange Glow' - Flowers white in June, with bright orange-red berries. Thorny stem. Height 10-15ft. Suitable for north or east-facing wall or as impenetrable hedging.
o Shrub Rose Rosa 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup' - Excellent ground cover, pale pink flowers, very thorny stem. May to September. Plant with garden compost and bone-meal.
o Pencil Christmas Tree Picea abias 'Cupressina' - Medium-sized tree of columnar habit, with ascending spiky branches. Attractive form with dense growth. Avoid dry chalky soils.
o Juniper Juniperus x media 'Old Gold' - Evergreen. Golden-tipped foliage. Prickly foliage. Height 2ft. Spread 6ft. Low growing. Excellent ground cover.
o Purple Berberis Berberis thunbergil 'Atropurpurea' - Rich purple foliage. Thorny stem. Medium-sized deciduous. Any soil sunny position.
o Mountain Pine Pinus mugo 'Mughus' - A very hardy, large shrub or small tree, with long sharp needles, of dense, bushy habit. Leaves in pairs, 3 - 4cm long, rigid and curved, dark green, cone.
o Blue Pine Picea pungens 'Hoopsii' - Small to medium-sized tree, spiky needled stem, densely conical habit, with vividly glaucous blue leaves. Likes moist, rich soil.
o Oleaster Elaeagnus angustifolia - Small deciduous tree, about 4.5 to 6 m (15 to 20 feet) high. Smooth, dark brown branches that often bear spines and narrow, light green leaves that are silvery on the undersides. The flowers are small, greenish, fragrant, and silvery-scaled on the outside, as are the edible, olive-shaped, yellowish fruits, which are sweet but mealy. Hardy, wind resistant, tolerant of poor, dry sites, and thus useful in windbreak hedges.
o Blackthorn Prunus spinosa - Also called Sloe; spiny shrub. Usually grows less than 3.6 metres (12 feet) tall and has numerous, small leaves. Its dense growth makes it suitable for hedges. White flowers. Bluish-black fruit is used to flavour sloe gin.
In addition, the following thorny plants can also be considered:
Aralia, Chaenomeles, Colletia, Crataegus (including hawthorn/may), Hippophae (sea buckthorn), Maclura, Mahonia, Oplopanax, Osmanthus, Poncirus, Rhamnus, Rosa (climbing & shrub roses), Rubus (bramble), Smilax, Prickly ash(Zanthoxylum).
Although they will take some time to grow in the end you will have a very tough self repairing vicious perimeter defence

Narrative is by NR, plant list from a crime prevention leaflet I had laying around for years.

[Bracken]

This list of natural plants is very good ,I must talk to Highlander about putting some around our place as they do not attract any attention ,but in the event of anyone trying to gain access to our place they would shout when they get caught on a thorn ,which should give time for us to do something.

[NorthernRaider]

Bracken some of em like Blackthorn and Hawthorn also almost always give the criminal septicaemia whe they get hooked on the thorns, they are a great deterant that only needs a trim once a year.

[uks]

got 200yrds barbed wire in the shed ready to go up if anything happens

[Wildman]

as an added boost for any one wanting to speed up a thorny security system, mix up one table spoon full of sugar mollaces with hot water and mix whilst letting it call. one spoon per 2-3ltr should b enough. trie testing it on brambles in your lacal woods to see how they like it. they should grow like their on steroids. sugar mollaces is carbo's for the plants!!

[Highlander]

(16 February 2013, 18:46)Bracken Wrote: This list of natural plants is very good ,I must talk to Highlander about putting some around our place as they do not attract any attention ,but in the event of anyone trying to gain access to our place they would shout when they get caught on a thorn ,which should give time for us to do something.

More work planned for me I see....

[T-oddity]

Can I add Worcesterberry a species of ribes divericatum, this has the most vicious thorns of any plant that I have come across, readily puncturing wheelbarrow tyres and leather gloves even wellies if your unlucky, is self layering so just gets thicker and thicker if not cut back each year, grows to about 5'' high and produces berries that are a cross between black current and gooseberry and are absolutely delicious. I have to ware leather wrist guards/guantlets when picking the fruit just to reduce the amount of damage this plant does.

[Prepper1]

I think I'm going to go the bramble route for the fruit as well as the thorns but with a move on the cards soon, I think I may wait..but maybe not, it might never happen, so I'd regret not doing it even just for short term protection... and like I say the fruits a bonus.

And wild roses because you can use the rose hips.

[bigpaul]

Gooseberries have some wicked thorns on them, in addition you can eat the fruit, i LOVE gooseberries got them growing in the front garden, but the kids around here have no idea what they are and you never see them in supermarkets.