Think of landscaping as exterior security devices. Landscaping can be your first line of defense against burglars. Most burglaries are committed during daylight on weekdays, slightly less often at night, and most often when nobody is home. According to national statistics, burglary and theft are the two major crimes you're most likely to experience.
1. If you want a fence in front, choose a picket or metal-rail type that you can see through.
2. Prune tree branches high for clear vision across yard. Remove limbs that act as ladders to upper windows.
3. Keep plantings low to reduce cover near the entry and driveway.
4. Install lamps that wash light across house walls to silhouette intruders.
5. Install path lights with motion or light sensors, or with timers to turn them on if you forget.
6. Mount motion sensor-activated floodlights on the garage.
7. Use manual or electronic locks on the garage door.
1. Train thorny vines or climbing roses over fences or walls. Or plant a hedge of spiny shrubs.
2. Plant prickly shrubs beneath windows, but keep the windowsills clear for escape from fire.
3. Self-closing gates should have locks.
4. Barking dogs attract attention that burglars prefer to avoid. Many breeds, from large rottweilers to miniature schnauzers, bark vigorously at intruders.