Is there anything worse than sitting in your garden trying to enjoy some nice weather only to realise that you’re being watched? While people don’t generally tend to look into your garden on purpose, it can be difficult not to if your garden is exposed.

And, of course, if you do have an open garden, you there is little to stop unwanted intruders accessing your property.

So, what’s the solution? Well, you could put up a fence or other solid barriers but these can often be an eyesore. Using natural barriers like rose bushes, together with CCTV etc, provides you with the privacy in your garden and security you are looking for as well as being easy on the eye.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about using roses as a barrier including which varieties are best.

How can roses be used for privacy and security?

Unfortunately, we have to be very careful in modern times as there are a lot of people that will want to gain unauthorised access to your property. It’s a sad fact of life but one that we should be mindful of.

Instead of throwing up solid wooden fences with ugly barbed wire on top, or traditional hedging, roses make a wonderful natural alternative.

Have you ever been pricked by a rose thorn? If you have, you’ll know how unpleasant it is. Now imagine trying to climb through or over a rose bush and how many times you’ll be spiked.

No intruder is going to want to go through this so a mature rose hedge will not only make it difficult for confident intruders but will likely act as a deterrent so they won’t even want to try.

Not only are these bushes thorny but they’re also very dense. Once mature, anybody would find it incredibly difficult to get through them, especially when they are placed close together (just remember to give each plant enough room to thrive.)

Whether it’s a human or an animal you want to keep out, rose bushes are a very effective choice.

Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive discounts and offers

But what’s most special about them is that they’re so beautiful. Roses have long been a symbol of love and beauty and having them in your garden will certainly give you a stunning and colourful display. This is far more preferable to other, manmade security options.

How are rose bushes good for privacy?

Keeping your privacy when spending time in the garden is of the utmost importance. While many of us get along with our neighbours, you don’t want to have to interact every time you’re in the garden. This is your place to relax and spend some quiet time so improving privacy is a must.

Rose bushes are not only great for security but they’ll also work well as enclosing your garden and offering privacy. One of the main reasons for this is that they are so dense. Of course, different varieties will grow thicker than others but generally speaking, a mature rose bush is difficult to see through and so makes a wonderful, and beautiful privacy barrier.

What’s more, these plants grow very rapidly so if you’ve just moved into a new property and need something that’ll provide a quick, natural solution, they’re ideal. Rose bushes will also spread quite wide. Some shrub roses can grow to be 4 feet in width which will cover a good area.

Interestingly, the variation in height between rose bushes is very vast. There are some rose species that won’t grow any taller than eight to twelve inches whereas other climbing varieties can get to a whopping 50 feet. Although for domestic climbing roses, you wouldn’t expect them to exceed 15 feet at their max. In any case, they will provide excellent cover.

Which is the best rose bush for hedges?

For the most part, when planting rose bushes, you want to give them a decent amount of space as they will grow quite wide. Some larger plants can get as wide as four feet so it’s generally accepted that this should be the minimum spacing. Rambling roses are especially effective.

If you’re looking to form a hedge out of your rose bushes then there are certain varieties that will be more suited to this but you can also use thorny rose bushes near windows to prevent unwanted visitors getting too close to your property.

The best rose bushes to use for security are, unsurprisingly, those with thick stems and plenty of thorns. You can see our selection of rose bushes here.

Why you should use roses as a barrier

While you could go with things like gates and fences to give your property more privacy and security, roses are a much more aesthetically pleasing choice. They’re brilliant for the job thanks to how dense they are and the fact that they are filled with thorns so they act as an excellent deterrent. 

Read our Guide to Growing Roses in Pots