How Landscaping Affects Your Security

Visibility

When it comes to the landscaping around your home or business, there are several considerations to keep in mind that could affect your visibility and overall security. While some suggestions to increase visibility and reduce obstructions may seem obvious, others are more subtle and could have a considerable impact.

Lighting

Having adequate lighting around your home offers safety and security in numerous ways while the sun is down. Potential intruders can be instantly deterred if there is a lack of dark hiding spots on or around your property. Appropriate lighting also serves as a warm welcome to guests while enhancing their safety when they arrive and depart. Areas that should have plenty of lighting include parking lots, sidewalks, paths, entryways, and spaces that contain security cameras.

Open fencing

Property owners often think privacy fencing is the best solution to prevent others from seeing into their yards. Even though it can be a benefit, blocking visibility with solid fencing could pose a safety issue if a break-in occurs. Choosing chain link or iron fencing can help keep unwanted guests out without negatively affecting your line of sight.

Obstructions

Visibility on the exterior of your home directly depends on where you place a potential obstruction, whether it’s as small as a garden figurine or as large as a statue. Eliminating obstacles that affect visibility on your property can exponentially increase your security. If trimming shrubbery or adjusting outdoor structures doesn’t work, many property owners install fixtures like convex mirrors to give complete visibility from any angle.

Plant and greenery considerations

Practical landscaping needs to start with comprehensive planning. You need to carefully choose what plants and shrubbery you want on your property, decide where to place them, and consider how their placement may impact visibility on your property. There are opportunities for plants to serve numerous functions that visually enhance your property while also providing natural forms of protection and avoiding adverse impacts on your security.

Know before planting

Whether starting your landscaping journey from scratch or adding accent pieces to enhance your current landscaping, you might be in the market for various plants. Before making those purchases, ensure you know how your plants will grow and mature. The last thing you want is a plant that grows too large and poses a security problem. In addition to considering how a plant grows above ground, evaluating how its roots will grow underground is imperative. If planting trees or other plants with vast root systems, remember that the root system could cause safety concerns, such as uneven surfaces or cracked walkways.

Protective plants and rocks

If you want to outfit your property with protective and aesthetically pleasing landscaping, certain plants and rocks can serve both purposes. Many choose to deter unwanted visitors with prickly plants such as cacti or roses because they are attractive and hazardous to trespassers. Another option might be to line areas with rocks or gravel because walking on stones can produce significant noise. If intruders cannot move in silence, they are more likely to move on.

Proper maintenance

These tips can easily set you up for success in optimizing your home or business for security and appearance. Still, maintaining your property’s exterior is required to continue to avoid security issues. An overgrown and cluttered space could make your home or business a target for intruders. Regularly mowing grass and removing any fallen debris lets passersby know that the property is subject to a constant flow of traffic. Maintaining a safe and attractive property provides additional benefits such as natural access control, which uses landscaping to guide visitors and customers to clear paths for entry and exit.

Adding an access control system is an excellent solution for business owners who want to add to the security benefits of natural access control. FSS Technologies proudly offers products from Avigilon Alta, the industry leader in access control systems. Whatever your home or business needs, our team of experts can provide a comprehensive security audit and recommend ways to improve your property’s safety and security. Contact us today to get started.