security and hedging.

My mother has a young privet hedge round her garden which has gaps...what could she fill the gaps with that would offer some spikey aid to security and would live with privet ?
Also needs to be fast growing.

 

Hi Time sorry if there's a pun there!

Berberis is a really good shrub for keeping unwanted visiters out of your garden it has some really nasty thorns on it, I use it to keep the neighbourhood cats off my garden and it works really well although you have to be careful when being near it because those thorns give you a mighty sore stab if you forget about them!

I'm not too sure if you will be able to plant it amongst your privet but I'm pretty sure someone on here will put you right on that.
Helen.xxx.

 

I think Pyracantha will be OK with privet.

 

Quickthorn or hawthorn. Grows fast. My parents used it with privet cause the neighbourhood kids could just push through the privet hedges.

 

Lovely thanks to all ....

 

Berberis or hawthorn would get my vote although hawthorn is more likely to be easyer to get established.