Fencing, where needed should enhance your property.

Property fences today have become almost a necessity in certain countries where security is now a major issue. Southern African properties look decidedly like prisons, with palisades sharpen to remove the hanging parts of intruders, electric fencing atop, as a further deterrent. Walls so high, requiring ladders to enter, topped with electric alarm systems. Razor wire configurations planned to disembowel any person stupid enough to attempt entry. But do these, firstly enhance the garden, and secondly deter the intruders?

Garden fences require designing to suit the house as well as the occupants security needs. Palisades, disguise them by covering with low growing shrubs and creepers, protect your security need but enhance it. High walls, plant shrubs in groups on the outside, this way the construction lines broken, and the vastness of the wall camouflaged. Remember not to grow any plants near a gate entrance, this is where the "baddie" tries to hide and await your arrival. Make him come from afar, giving you time to lock the doors and drive away, or to get out and beat the living “katookers” out of him.

Razor wire is dangerous for small children not knowing better, don't use it if you have kids or Grand children that may visit. Grow creepers on these constructions, no amount of plant material will stop the razors from eating you alive if you attempt to climb it.

Electric fences can tolerate no growth of plants in contact with the wires, this down grades the voltage by earthing on the plant. A low voltage wire is as good as no wire.

Do these fences deter the devoted intruder? Not really, they will find a way of entry. Do they likewise improve the look of the home? I don't think so. My preference is a good plant growth with a good security system that will detect movement, sounding a siren and/or informing a security firm of a breach.

A herpetologist I knew had a low wall surrounding his property, not to exclude intruders but rather to keep his pets on the inside. He had a simple sign on his gate, no “beware of dog” “enter at own risk” “the dog barks but the owner bites” his said “beware of snakes”. His property contained a variety of cobras, mambas and adders of varying size. Did he ever get visitors or intruders? Never, no one went near the house.

On a visit I had to the USA, I was hard pressed to find a house with a front fence in the areas we visited, now are they crime free, or it is not an essential need, but what it did do, was make the house look so much better. Their gardens, the main feature that caught the eye beyond which, you saw the house. We in the south of Africa once lived like that, not any more.

Do I advocate the removal of fences? Not by any means, what makes you comfortable and makes you feel safe, erect. What I do suggest is disguise it, have it designed to suit the house or break the lines with plants, add some colour, anything to make sure the fence is not the main attraction.

My house has a low diamond mesh fence, merely to keep my pets in, an intruder must evade the security system and dogs, followed closely by me.