Feeling the pinch
Thefts from gardens are on the increase under lockdown – so it pays to be on guard, writes David Overend.
Coronavirus has brought out the best and the worst in people. So applause for the NHS, the charitable and the helpful, boos for the scammers, the heartless, the cheats and the thieves.
The latter have obviously found it harder to go about their dirty work – the stay-at-home lockdown means more homes are occupied 24/7, so they seem to have switched their attention to gardens. Hence the attacks on garden sheds and even plants.
Thefts from gardens have always been a problem, so it pays to be on your guard. Make sure you lock your gardening equipment away in a shed, using strong locks/padlocks. They may not be thiefproof but they do act as a deterrent.
Try to screen your shed’s windows, so that thieves cannot see what you’ve got in there. Don’t leave doors and windows open while you garden, or leave keys out on view, or under the plant pot – the first place a thief is likely to look.
Mark your lawnmower with distinctive motifs in paint, or use ultraviolet markings to show it’s yours. Alarm any outbuildings that contain valuable items and install security lights.
Place heavy weights in the base of containers, to make it difficult to move them and even put chains around the root ball of expensive trees and then bury these roots deep in the soil.
Photograph valuable garden items, so that if they are stolen they can be more easily identified by the police. Use gravel on paths so that you can hear intruders. It will also make any getaway with a wheelbarrow very slow.
Make the most of nature and let it work for you. Use thorny plants such as Berberis, holly and blackthorn to make it difficult to scale walls and fences and put the likes of roses and Pyracantha under windows to deter thieves.
Better still, plant dense hedges to make it difficult for anyone to get into and out of your garden.
Other plants you can use to help form part of your garden’s defences include sharp-leaved pampas grass and spiky gooseberry bushes – the latter, of course, have the added benefit of providing fruit.