What could I grow against a fence for extra security. Something thorny or prickly would be great?

Question

Something fast growing would also be beneficial

Answer 1

Well... I love these questions, you'll get alot of good ideas. It would help though to know what USDA hardiness zone you're in. You'll have to take your list to the local independent garden center to see which are hardy in your area, and which are not.

Here in zone 5, I'd suggest, Salt spray roses (Rosa rugosa), Quince (Chaenomeles), Hawthorn (Crataegus) any of those will 'leave a mark'.

I hope that this helps

Answer 2

large climbing roses have a lot of thorns on them and within one year they can produce large shoots up to 10 foot high and unlike cactus they are fast growing with many flowers each year !. If you grow some blackberry plants with thorns on them they produce a lot of fruit and can prevent people from getting in. You could also plant out some Yuccas but make sure you get the right soil because they will not grow well if you give them any soil.
They need stony, dry and sandy soil that has good drainage and doesn't contain much nutrition. Yuccas are good because at the end of each leaf there are thorns which are similar to needles.

Answer 3

If you want a few different bushes try butchers broom or mahonia, once they get going they get bigger. We have just had to remove both from under our window while we have building work done and the butchers broom had now been split and made 3 plants, for when they go back in. Depends how long the fence is. Have a walk round a good garden centre and ask staff. You may get a better deal if you have a local plant nursery.

Answer 4

Hawthorn is cheap and will grow 3 foot a year. It has woody thorns and makes a small tree, it is used for farm hedging. It is self supporting and won't sucker.
Blackthorn has killer thorns - woody, leggy tree harder to keep small but will sucker up to fill an awkward corner.
Wild rose will grow through both these and other plants, very pretty mass of blooms in summer full of bees, its advantage is it will wrap itself round any intruder.
Holly is too slow to be practical.
Quince is very pretty, early flowering, go for crimson & gold but only grows 4 ft high, good for low hedging nearer the house.

Answer 5

Celice

Try to source Dovyalis caffra or D. spinosa or Carissa macrocarpa. Dovyalis is not as aesthetically appealing as Carissa but is an effective deterrent because of its long spines. Carissa is has deep green foliage with lovely white flowers (sporadic flowerer) with large plum like fruits that are perfectly edible when ripe. Safe haven for small animals and birds and grows to about 2 m in height. Strong split spines for intruders. Can be pruned to any shape or size -- your imagination is the only limit. Commonly used as hedge in RSA.

Answer 6

Yeah I think Pyracantha too... it's common name is Firethorn, vicious thorns and beautiful looking too!

"Dense, prickly, fast growing evergreen hedge, clusters of white flowers in June and masses of berries in autumn and winter. Excellent form with dark green foliage and freely produced orange-red berries. Shade tolerant. Also excellent for training on a wall of any aspect where a height of 9ft (2.7m) and spread of 12ft (3.7m) can be attained."

Answer 7

Pyracantha is excellent for growing against a fence or wall.
It has vicious thorns, is evergreen, it flowers and produces brightly coloured berries and responds well to pruning.
It grows quickly but not so much that it becomes difficult to control.

What more could you ask for?

Prepare the soil well before planting to give it a good start.

Answer 8

If you're in zone 7 or higher, plant a Mermaid climbing rose. Golf courses use this rose to grown over their perimeter fences as attractive security. It has about a zillion thorns & will discourage any intruderes.

Here's a link http://www.countrysideroses.com/csr/RosePages/Mermaid.html

Answer 9

Rose hedging can be quite vigorous and is very effective as a security barrier, looks lovely and can have a lovely scent if you pick the right roses.
David Austin Roses has a great selection.

Answer 10

Bamboo is strong and makes a great fence that's hard to penetrate. Failing that, those huge Mexican cacti should do the trick right? With a whole bunch of nettles around the bottem and your'e laughing....except when you're visited by kids.

i want to build a high wall with 'trough' at the top for cacti (and drainage holes of course).