Landscaping Ideas: How to Embrace Your Lawn and Garden

With spring just around the corner, there is no time like the present to consider your landscaping. Before you get too busy with what you want, you should consider landscaping with your home's security and family's safety in mind. Believe it or not, your landscaping can do wonders at deterring burglars and preventing unwanted intruders. Here are a few tips to ensure your home is less attractive to potential thieves:

Trim Hedges and Bushes at 3 Feet

When you maintain tall bushes and hedges around your home, you are essentially creating the perfect hiding environment for a criminal. So, you will want to trim these all down to a minimum of three feet, which will make the area open. This helps to increase visibility for any passersby, who can report any strange activity around your home. Plus, due to the openness, your home will likely be less targeted by potential criminals.

Plant Bushes with Thorns Around the Windows

In addition to keeping bushes trimmed low, you should also consider having thorny bushes planted if you don't already have them. These include plants like roses, barberries, bougainvilleas, prickly pear cacti, and yuccas. The best thing about these plants is that they are all attractive, so you won't have to worry about giving up curb appeal for the security of your home. Keep in mind that you will need to speak to a landscape professional to determine which plants are best suited for the climate that you live in.

Use Gravel on the Ground

To help ensure that you hear when someone is outside of your house, consider having gravel installed. In many cases, the sight of gravel will deter a burglar, as they know that their footsteps will make loud noises as soon as they step foot on the gravel. The gravel should be laid in beds below windows as well as paths beneath and around windows. Don't be too quick to throw this idea out the window, as gravel comes in multiple shapes and sizes. It doesn't have to be that plain gravel that you see in driveways. In fact, pea gravel is often a popular option for landscaping and comes in different colors. If gravel doesn't interest you, there are alternatives that still pack a loud crunch, such as decorative rocks and stones.

If you need help improving your home's security with landscaping, speak to a landscaping company like Bill and Dave's Landscape Maintenance. They will be able to help you every step of the way, including species of plants, placement and maintenance.