Plant Protection: How the humble plant can aid in keeping your home safe
Kevin McCallister (Home Alone) did a great job at keeping his home safe from unwelcome intruders but perhaps he could have been saved a lot of angst if there were more plants protecting his house from the outside.
Sometimes we can overlook the power of the plant as a protection method to safeguard the home and deter potential burglars. Stepping over a spiky, dense low growing shrub to only become ensnared in a thorny rose bush is not the ideal (or quiet) way to enter a house. A potential intruder will think twice about trying to break into a home that has prickly or spiky plants around any access points. In this case, the pain is not worth the gain. Plants are a viable way to offer your home that added home security .
Protective plants that have sharp, thorny, or spiky leaves or branches that are good for home security include:
- bougainvillaea
- yuccas
- cactus
- cycads
- agaves
- roses
- Lilly pilly also come in on the defensive list for safeguarding your house.
A short, sharp shrub at the front or perimeter (so that you can still see the house) and then a choice of spiky yuccas finished off with a climbing rose would put anyone off trying to discreetly enter the house via the garden.
Depending on the climate where you live, how big your yard is and what you are trying to achieve will be key factors in deciding which plant or plants will be effective. There are so many plant options available and using them to protect your home is an aesthetically pleasing and effective way to add that extra level of home security.
The plants could be such effective home security protectors the only way in would be via the chimney...hang on isn’t that Scott Calvin and The Santa Clause?