Creating a safe and secure garden

Ask the experts RHS Gardening Advisors offer free advice to help your garden flourish. If you’re confused about wisteria pruning or are looking to plant a shady corner, we’re here to develop your skills and build your confidence.

RHS members visiting Hyde Hall can now make free use of the weekly gardening advice service. An advisor will be on hand in the Welcome Building every Wednesday and Thursday (March – September) between 1 & 3pm. Members can get help with plant identification, plant selection, cultivation advice as well as pest and disease problems.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Chelmsford, Essex Sat nav: CM3 8RA Open daily from 10am (except Christmas Day) RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262. Images © RHS

rhs.org.uk/hydehall Every visit supports our work as a charity

Secured by Design (SBD) SBD is a police initiative that improves the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.

Essex Police Essex Police are proactively leading on a number of garden security initiatives to help people protect their properties and their gardens. For further crime prevention advice, visit https://www.essex.police.uk/advice .

British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) BALI are the leading trade association for UK landscape professionals, proudly setting the bar for industry standards.

Partnership working Creating a safe & secure garden is a collaboration project between Secured by Design, Essex Police, The British Association of Landscape Industries and RHS Garden Hyde Hall.

Crime prevention recommendations for houses

Wheelie bin behind locked side gate

Closed and locked windows

Secure side gate not recessed

Security lights

Secure shed door and window

High side and rear boundaries with trellis and spiky defensive planting

Intruder alarm system

Secure garage door

Secure front door

Gravel driveway and path

Low front boundary

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Creating a safe and secure garden If like us, you’re passionate about your garden, the last thing you want is intruders.

With outdoor living on the rise, we’re all spending more time, effort and money on our gardens to make them a green haven where we can relax and socialise.

To help make your garden a safer place, here’s a few tips to get you started.

Boundaries and access The first line of defence against theft is to make sure property boundaries are secure, particularly to the rear, where people are often less watchful.

Fences Fences need to be of solid construction. It is recommended that fences to the rear of your property are 1.8m, and to the front no higher than 1.2m.

Drives and pathways Gravel drives and paths make it impossible for an intruder to approach a property quietly.

Gates Keep gates shut and locked whenever possible, especially those allowing access to the rear of the property. Fit two quality locks to a gate, top and bottom.

Lighting Install security lighting operated by a daylight sensor.

Mark your property Mark your valuable items using a permanent marker to endorse it with your post code and house number or name.

Plants, ornaments and containers Proprietary land anchors can be used to secure larger plants, garden furniture, containers and ornaments.

Sheds and outbuildings Don’t make a burglar’s job easier by leaving gardening tools lying around – these are often used to force entry into houses.

CCTV Consider installing closed circuit television (CCTV). Domestic systems can be linked to your tv/video to view your garden.

Other plants to try:• Crataegus monogyna – common hawthorn• Prunus spinosa – blackthorn• Ribes speciosum – fuschia-flowered gooseberry• Hippophae rhamnoides – sea buckthorn• Chamaerops humilis – dwarf fan palm• Agave ovatifolia – oval-leaved agave

Plants that fight backClearly, another level of defence are the plants themselves. Thorny, spiky and prickly plants can deter even the most determined burglar and may be all the protection you need around your property. And if you choose the right plants they can look aesthetically pleasing too and add drama to your garden.

Ian Le Gros, Head of Site at RHS Garden Hyde Hall suggests his favourite top ten plants than can help protect your home.

Eryngium bourgatii (sea holly) Eryngium can be annuals, biennials or perennials. They have a strong architectural shape, spiky bracts and great colour. Find examples in the Dry Garden.

Rosa rugosa (Japanese rose) Rugosa roses are upright shrubs with very prickly stems and fragrant flowers in summer and autumn, often followed by large, tomato-like red hips. Find examples on Clover Hill.

Rubus cockburnianus (white-stemmed bramble) Rubus is a thicket-forming shrub which has arching prickly shoots with a brilliant white bloom in winter. Find examples on Clover Hill.

Colletia paradoxa (anchor plant) Colletia is a rounded deciduous shrub to 3m, with stems bearing many flattened, triangular spines and small clusters of fragrant white flowers in autumn. Find examples in the Dry Garden.

Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) Berberis can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs with spiny shoots. They produce attractive flowers in spring followed by berries. Find examples in the Hilltop Garden and Winter Garden.

Mahonia × media ‘Lionel Fortescue’ (Oregon grape) Mahonias are evergreen shrubs with spiny, dark green leaves. Scented yellow flowers are followed by dark berries. Find examples in the Queen Mother’s Garden, Clover Hill and Woodland Garden.

Berkheya purpurea (purple berkheya) Berkheya are perennials, with spiny, pinnately divided leaves and purple daisy-like flower-heads in summer. Find examples in the Dry Garden and Sky Meadow.

Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ (firethorn) Pyracantha are evergreen shrubs or small trees, with spiny branches and showy red, orange or yellow berries.

Ilex species (holly) Ilex can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs and trees with showy berries in autumn on the female plants. Find examples in the Hilltop Island Beds.

Gunnera manicata (giant rhubarb) Gunnera is a robust herbaceous perennial with large, rough leaves and spiny stems. Find examples around the Hilltop Ponds.

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