Silly Question - want Brambles!

Dear all,
Am, *complete* newbie and have possibly silly question.
I live next to a railway and a wooded area containing a summerhouse that is curently unoccupied due to owners poor health.

Just recently there has been a spate of burglaries where they have been gaining access via a disued path along the railway. The path is dangerous and out of bounds anyway and the owners family are spending a fortune boarding the place up each time it is vandalised.

I think some really thick brambles will do the trick and block access for the casual tresspasser. I probably sound like an old git (maybe I now qualify at 36?) but I'm looking for a low tech natural solution to an ugly problem that will encourage the right kind of wildlife.

I'm looking for the cheapest, fastest growing, nastiest thornfilled things I can possibly lay my hands on - am I being daft or could I simply pick a load of blackberries and plants these all over the area? Or is there a variety I can obtain the seeds for?

 

this might work out cheaper in the long run:
Movement activated barking dog/chime/alarm/voice warning system £49.00 - in-car-stuff.com - Car Alarms & Security, Car Audio, In Car DVD & TV, Car Styling, UK and Ireland delivery

or similar

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner.

Blackberries would do it. Brambles root where the branches lean over & touch the ground so if there is a bush nearby, you could put a pot under a branch & then cut it once it had taken root.

 

For a faster, much more fearsome barrier, add wild roses. They don't produce the kind of thicket that brambles do but they grow faster, and are of course natural, native, pretty, and good for wildlife.

In a couple of months bare rooted plants will come up for sale so you'll be able to stock up on the cheap.

For a bit of diversity, how about chucking in a few hawthorns, and maybe some holly too.

I would recommend Blackthorn too, but it is quite slow growing, and spreads by underground runners so it pops up where you might not want it.

If you can get some cheap, how about throwing in a few goosegogs too, they've got fearsome thorns, and have the added bonus of the lovely berries for your pies and crumble.

 

I did something similar at one end of my allotment about 10yrs ago.

I think whatever you plant its not going to work overnight and will probably still be thin by the end of next summer unless you use lots of plants.

I used brambles initially, just dug up a few young wild growing plants, they establish better than big old woody plants.
If you can find some now and move them they will have a head start next spring.
Next year you just layer a few of the longer shoots, they can do it themselves, but a little help dont hurt.

Mine are now 8ft high and a constant battle to control.:o

 

My personal favourite for keeping people away is pyracantha - a truly nasty plant to try to force your way past. Not too fast or slow growing & should be fairly cheap if you get a dozen or so small ones from a grower.

 

How about gorse. Pretty and sweet smelling when in bloom. But absolutely lethal when it comes to the thorns, in fact they are more like spikes.

 

Trouble is, gorse is very invasive, and extremely flammable.

 

True..........our island's covered in it!

 

Wow,
Many thanks for all the responses.
The invasive bit is something I'll have to think about a bit but not too much as there is already a wooden panel fence in place and an embankment down to a trainline allowing spread so I shouldn't have to worry because of the exact location. I also want the brambles to invade some of the looser woodland that provides a possible entrance.

I love the sensor activated dog bark, was sorely tempted. Ditto bear traps but I hear its not the done thing.

I've had a good read of all of the advice given and I think I will go for a mixture of slow/fast growing and understand that this is very much a long term thing. So buckthorn and brambles liberally planted about the place.
Once done I'm going to put a new fence in so it is a bit of a fire and forget.

As I don't have to look at it, ugly and thorny is the way to go I think. I love the idea of gorse but there was a good reminder about the flammability. I live in Sandhurst so am very familiar with this concept :-(
Might mix it up a bit in if possible though as I like the idea of a bit of diversity. I had completely forgotten about roses - fantastic idea, one of my favourites. Wrong association so I had not thought about it.

 

Let us know what you decide on Jolly, an update would be good to on your progress.