Landscaping to prevent home break-ins

I’ll bet you never gave a thought to security when you were planning your landscaping.
The fact is landscaping can be a deterrent—or an open invitation—to thieves.
Here are some interesting facts about burglars:

• American burglars don’t want to spend more than 60 seconds breaking into your home. 
  
  
• Burglaries usually happen between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon—when most people are at work or school. 
  
  
• The typical burglar in US is a male in his teens. He usually lives less than ten miles from your house.      
  
  
• Burglaries last only eight to ten minutes 
  
  
• Most home invaders are not professional thieves; burglaries are quick, disorganized amateur ventures. 
  
  

So how can you make your home uninviting for a typical American burglar? Here are some tips: 

• Mark where your property begins, using a fence, gate, wall, or a hedge. Thorny bushes like trumpet vines, roses, and fire thorn discourage burglars or intruders. 
  
  
• Pea stone, gravel, oyster shells, or other noisy ground cover offers a discouraging noise to burglars. 
  
  
• Avoid tall hedges or plant rows. They make it easy for burglars to crouch and move. 
  
  
• Planting thorny plants like cactus or roses makes your flowerbeds or border an unwelcome environment for both two and four-footed intruders. Plant  thorny bushes under your windows; some good choices are: bougainvillea, barberries, roses, yuccas and other large low maintenance succulents 
  
  
• Keep bushes trimmed to under three feet and trim trees so that you have a clear line of sight across your property. 
  
  
• Make sure that any tree branches, bushes, trellises, or patio railings do not provide an open invitation to the second floor of your house. 
  
  
• Eliminate dark areas like porches, garage walls, alleys, garbage can storage spaces, and darkened backyards that would make it easy for trespassers to get close to your house. Illuminate those areas with motion detector lights. Illuminate walkways with moonlights.

 

• Give your house a lived-in look even when you are gone. Leave your car in the driveway. Play a radio or TV. Use a timer for lights throughout the house. Have someone take in flyers, newspapers and other debris. Have someone clear your mailbox. If you are away for an extended period, don’t forget to have someone water and trim plants. 
  
  

Your safety plan to protect you and your property should include ways to make your landscaping difficult for thieves to penetrate.