Hi, some advice please!

I have a house on a corner plot with a 7-8ftwide tatty strip of
grass/weeds running up the side which is attractive only to dogs and the
neighbours kids who keep playing football up against the wall!

I'm looking to fill it with something that is spikey/sharp enough to
deter dogs/kids (rather than disembowel them!) and was thinking along
the lines of 'anti-burglar' type plants such as pyracantha, berberis,
and quince.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? The wall is facing SW
and the soil is a heavy clay which does get hard & dry in the summer.
Ideally, suggestions should thrive on negelct if possible, though I'm
not adverse to a bit of work if needed :-)

Thanks...
--
Dave McLaughlin

Homo Sapiens Non Urinat In Ventum

"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...
Hi, some advice please!

I have a house on a corner plot with a 7-8ftwide tatty strip of
grass/weeds running up the side which is attractive only to dogs and the
neighbours kids who keep playing football up against the wall!

I'm looking to fill it with something that is spikey/sharp enough to
deter dogs/kids (rather than disembowel them!) and was thinking along
the lines of 'anti-burglar' type plants such as pyracantha, berberis,
and quince.

All good.

Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Rambling rosses. Don't train them up anything, just let tehm 'ramble' :~)
Holly. Grows slow but is nice and prickly
I have very throrny blackberries as a deterent at the back of my garden. They
are becoming a nice thicket.........and I get a a crumble out of it too.


The wall is facing SW
and the soil is a heavy clay which does get hard & dry in the summer.

There is a winter hard cactus, but it does not get very big in our cold and wet
climate.

Ideally, suggestions should thrive on negelct if possible, though I'm
not adverse to a bit of work if needed :-)
Thanks...
-- Dave McLaughlin

Jenny

JennyC wrote:
"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...

Hi, some advice please!



Is there anything else I should be looking at?


Rambling rosses. Don't train them up anything, just let tehm 'ramble' :~)
Holly. Grows slow but is nice and prickly
I have very throrny blackberries as a deterent at the back of my garden. They
are becoming a nice thicket.........and I get a a crumble out of it too.

Ah! Never even crossed my mind to try roses. There's a good selection
at http://www.britishroses.co.uk/ramblers.htm

Thanks.

--
Dave McLaughlin

Homo Sapiens Non Urinat In Ventum

"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...
Hi, some advice please!

I have a house on a corner plot with a 7-8ftwide tatty strip of
grass/weeds running up the side which is attractive only to dogs and the
neighbours kids who keep playing football up against the wall!

I'm looking to fill it with something that is spikey/sharp enough to deter
dogs/kids (rather than disembowel them!) and was thinking along the lines
of 'anti-burglar' type plants such as pyracantha, berberis, and quince.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? The wall is facing SW and
the soil is a heavy clay which does get hard & dry in the summer.
Ideally, suggestions should thrive on negelct if possible, though I'm not
adverse to a bit of work if needed :-)

Thanks...
--
Dave McLaughlin

Homo Sapiens Non Urinat In Ventum

Be careful of one word...

Compensation!

Dave McLaughlin wrote:
I have a house on a corner plot with a 7-8ftwide tatty strip of
grass/weeds running up the side which is attractive only to dogs and the
neighbours kids who keep playing football up against the wall!

I'm looking to fill it with something that is spikey/sharp enough to
deter dogs/kids (rather than disembowel them!) and was thinking along
the lines of 'anti-burglar' type plants such as pyracantha, berberis,
and quince.

Rotweiller. Keeping yer own dog will deter all others, and the children
too. Rotweilters eat footballs.

"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...
JennyC wrote:
"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...

Hi, some advice please!



Is there anything else I should be looking at?


Rambling rosses. Don't train them up anything, just let tehm 'ramble' :~)
Holly. Grows slow but is nice and prickly
I have very throrny blackberries as a deterent at the back of my garden.
They
are becoming a nice thicket.........and I get a a crumble out of it too.

Ah! Never even crossed my mind to try roses. There's a good selection
at http://www.britishroses.co.uk/ramblers.htm

Thanks.
Dave McLaughlin

There are lots of ground cover roses too........ :~)
Jenny

"McCready" wrote in message
. uk...


"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...
Hi, some advice please!

I have a house on a corner plot with a 7-8ftwide tatty strip of
grass/weeds running up the side which is attractive only to dogs and the
neighbours kids who keep playing football up against the wall!

I'm looking to fill it with something that is spikey/sharp enough to
deter
dogs/kids (rather than disembowel them!) and was thinking along the
lines
of 'anti-burglar' type plants such as pyracantha, berberis, and quince.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? The wall is facing SW
and
the soil is a heavy clay which does get hard & dry in the summer.
Ideally, suggestions should thrive on negelct if possible, though I'm
not
adverse to a bit of work if needed :-)

Thanks...
--
Dave McLaughlin

Homo Sapiens Non Urinat In Ventum

Be careful of one word...

Compensation!



I'm looking for something spiky that will climb an 8ft wall and then spread
through a trellis on top, so if anyone has any ideas... There's a hybrid
climbing rose there at present, but it's a bit feeble.

Regarding compensation: as I understand it, a plaintiff would need to prove
that you'd breached a Duty of Care (to protect HIM from the thorny bushes in
YOUR shruberry), and would even then only get compensation in proportion to
the damage or injury. (A few scratches and being laughed at by his mates??).
It's not as if you'd planted it with deliberate malicious intent to wound or
anything. A booby-trap of steel spikes would be a different matter.

( looking forward to someone quoting case-law to illustrate ridiculously
unfair verdicts in cases of injury by shrub)

OTOH, if you are bitten by or catch something nasty from those dogs...

Duncan

"Dave McLaughlin" wrote in message
...
Hi, some advice please!

I have a house on a corner plot with a 7-8ftwide tatty strip of
grass/weeds running up the side which is attractive only to dogs and the
neighbours kids who keep playing football up against the wall!

I'm looking to fill it with something that is spikey/sharp enough to
deter dogs/kids (rather than disembowel them!) and was thinking along
the lines of 'anti-burglar' type plants such as pyracantha, berberis,
and quince.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? The wall is facing SW
and the soil is a heavy clay which does get hard & dry in the summer.
Ideally, suggestions should thrive on negelct if possible, though I'm
not adverse to a bit of work if needed :-)

Thanks...
--
Dave McLaughlin

Homo Sapiens Non Urinat In Ventum

I once had a pyracantha on rock-hard soil (pebbles, clay and a bit of sand.
You couldn't get a fork through it if it dried out), and it thrived.

Duncan