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Have you ever envisioned a great cactus barrier around your home to thwart trespassers?
Actually, this rather unusual survival preparedness is
not a bad idea, and there are many different flora or plant species that can be utilized as
well.
My husband's relatives in Oregon had 5 or 6 foot blackberry hedges that grew over the
wire fences. A person would have to be crazy to try to get through their spiny defenses. Even
to pick the berries, special clothing must be worn.
Another mean protector is the thorny Pyracantha, also known as the fire thorn bush. One
encounter with a fire thorn will alert you to the origin of its name. One of these planted
beneath your window will prevent only the most determined and prepared prowler. In addition,
the Pyracantha produces shiny green foliage and bright red berries for holiday floral
displays.
One of my former employers had these bushes growing around his house and I had the
opportunity to cut them back on a regular basis. Tangling with these fierce bushes was
the worst part of my job. According to Linn Mills, a gardening expert who researched
these protective plants, "Argentine mesquite has 3-inch thorns that provide a real barrier
to cat burglars who use trees to access second-story windows." Mills observed that "he'd like
to be around when some creep swung up into that mess of thorns! Maybe then he could land down
below in the catclaw acacia. These small shrubs hide their spikes under beautiful leaves and
yellow blossoms. The catclaw is also called 'wait-a-minute-bush'. When the thorns catch your
skin or clothing, you must back up to get away from them, or break the plants spine-covered
limb off." Sounds like great fun!
According to Mills, "jumping cholla and prickly pears make much better burglar alarms
than ornamental iron bars covering windows. They bring a whole new meaning to the idea of
protective devices. Can you imagine unexpectedly finding an intruder in your home and in his
desire to get away he jumps through your window into a bed of two-inch thorny chollas? Your
stolen goods will be the last thing on his mind. He'll be crying for pruners, pliers, tweezers
and even help from the police while trying to remove the spines from his body."
In addition to being a silent burglar alarm, most of these defensive plants require very
little water and fit in nicely with a xeroscaping plan.
If you want to know more about barrier protecting cactus, trees and bushes, contact your
local nursery for more information.
Another option that can be used alone or with protective plants is the electrical fence.
Lehman's (see ad below) has a great solar powered electrical fence that works well in areas
where there is no electricity or if one has chosen to live completely free of the power grid.
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