Dark night rises KEEP THE BADDIES OUT OF YOUR GARDEN
NOW the nights are drawing in it’s a good time to check your property is safe and secure.
If someone can get into your garden easily without attracting suspicion, it could give a crook the opportunity to burgle your home.
And even if they don’t break in, they might steal prized garden goodies.
Ornaments, baskets and plants are the things most commonly stolen from gardens, so secure them to strong anchor points such as metal rings fixed into the ground or a wall.
You can also make patio pots almost impossible to move if you part fill them with gravel or bricks. As an extra benefit, you’ll also prevent the compost becoming waterlogged.
To prevent plants from being easily dug up, secure them in the ground with wire mesh – disguised with a decorative mulch or covered with ground-hugging plants.
The garden shed is like a jewel box for thieves as it often contains ladders and tools that could help them break into your home to steal even more of your valuables. Shed doors are notoriously easy to break open, so start by strengthening that, along with its frame as well – and if you can, invest in a heavy-duty padlock.
Mark your valuables with your post-code and make a note of serial numbers of gadgets like mowers and strimmers so you could identify them if stolen and recovered.
You can also use your garden to defend itself – grow thorny berberis bushes in boundary borders and fix spiny roses on to your fences.
Tangle
Intruders are unlikely to want to tangle with either of them.
Topping fencing with trellis that cannot support a person’s weight is another good trick, as prospective burglars will be unable to clamber over without the risk of being seen – and leaving a visible clue of the broken trellis as they try to break in.
The noise of this alone and the risk of injury is a deterrent in itself. Gravel paths, which make a loud noise under foot, will also alert you to anyone moving around the garden. Intruders prefer gloomy gardens where they can lurk unseen, so keep plants trimmed back to about waist height and consider spotlighting any areas that are in deep shadow at night. Choose low energy dusk to dawn lighting if you are overlooked, or one that is operated by a movement detector if you are not. Avoid floodlighting the area, which may disturb your neighbours unnecessarily. Always make sure that sensors are positioned so they cannot be activated by wildlife or passing cars. Finally, consider installing a CCTV camera to overlook your garden. Not only will it add an extra element of home security, but you will also be able to observe your garden wildlife at close quarters from the comfort of your living room.