Home Improvement

4 Landscaping Tips to Improve Security

Landscaping can have a huge influence on the protection and the security of your home.

Your security system might mean very little when you make it easily accessible for burglars to get inside your yard!

A good hiding place between two trees or inside a few shrubs might just make your house the perfect spot for these criminals to go undetected.

Whilst landscaping is usually done in order to make a yard look beautiful, landscaping can also be strategically developed so that homeowners are not caught unaware. It is one of the most commonly overlooked areas when protecting a home.

Here are a few landscaping tips that you can use in order to improve the security around your house:

Tip #1 – When planning the landscaping…

The first thing you as a homeowner should realize is that trees play an important role in the protection of your home:

If your trees are placed near the upper levels of your home, it will be easier for someone to access the first or second floor. You don’t want trees to act as a natural ladder that leads straight into your home.

You should also try and limit the shading on the ground floor near windows, doors or any other access points.

This goes for shrubbery as well: remove any shrubs that exceed a height of half a meter as these might dim the natural lighting that filters into your home.

Thieves are more prone to pass a house that is not an easy target!

Tip #2 – Make the home less attractive to thieves

Of course, we don’t mean let the paint start peeling and the walls start cracking. What we do mean by this is that your home should look difficult to get into.

Consider planting thorny or spiky shrubbery around your property, as these barrier shrubs will definitely make thieves think twice before attempting a break-in.

A well-maintained garden also gives the impression of regular activity and occupancy in the home.

Burglary is more likely to occur when people are on holiday and the house is left unattended!

By simply weeding and watering your garden regularly, you create the sense that the homeowners are vigilant and alert to their surroundings.

Tip #3 – Don’t leave your garden tools out

Except for the fact that they are expensive and might get stolen themselves, burglars usually use garden equipment in order to break into a house. Rather keep your tools locked away after raking, weeding, shoveling, etc.

  • Garages and sheds are popular places for burglars to hide, so make sure that you lock them every day.
  • Ensure that your exterior lights are always in working order and consider installing motion sensor lights directed at the main entry points.
  • And if you are out of town, you can use a timer to automatically turn on your lights and create the impression that someone is at home.

Tip #4 – Choose the right landscaping plants

There are many plants that can help brighten up a property and protect your home at the same time!

Rose bushes outside a window can make it difficult (not to mention painful) for anyone to get inside. You can even replace your driveway with gravel so that you can hear whenever someone is in your yard.

There are many options for you to ensure that your house is protected and by planning your landscaping properly, as well as following some of these landscaping tips to improve security, you can have an extra line of defense without ruining the aesthetics of your garden.


Have there been any specific additions YOU did to improve the security of your home thanks to your landscaping? Feel free to share with us in the comments below!


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Landscaping Tips & Improve Security
Landscaping Tips & Improve Security

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