Protect your garden from green-fingered thieves!

If your garden valuables aren't secure, green-fingered thieves could wreck your summer before it's even begun. Here's how to protect your plants, pots and patio furniture from pests this season.

If you've spent winter's dark and dreary days dreaming of bright sun and backyard barbecues, you're not alone.

We Brits are a nation of garden lovers, and many of us spend hundreds of pounds a year on improving our outdoor space.

According to a study by M&S Money, the average garden is home to an amazing £721 worth of plants, bushes, trees and shrubs. Meanwhile, a typical shed contains items that would cost a whopping £888 to replace.

However, as soon as the sun begins to shine, it seems outdoor thieves emerge from their winter hibernation. Recent research from Halifax shows garden theft increased by 63% during the summer months last year.

Typical targets
Now Britain is in the grip of recession, it's possible this year's crime statistics will be even scarier.

According to Halifax, thieves are likely to target items such as patio furniture, barbecues and garden ornaments. Rare or expensive plants and trees could also be at risk.

So, if you've spent years making your garden gorgeous, it's important to consider how you will keep it secure over the summer months. Here are eight tips that could help.

1. Mind the gap
If your fence has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese or the door of your garden shed is hanging on by a hinge, you need to address these gaps in your garden security.

Weather-worn or badly maintained fences, walls and doors make life easier for thieves and could put your property at risk.

However, bear in mind that making your garden too secluded could also be a mistake. Dark doorways and hidden entrances may allow thieves to slip into your garden unnoticed, so ensure all points of access to your yard are visible.

2. Lock everything away
If you have a shed, it's crucial to ensure it is fitted with a sturdy lock. Would-be thieves are likely to target your shed before they try stealing anything else - and if they get in, the tools they find inside could even help them break into your home.

In addition, if you own expensive garden equipment (such as a lawn mower or barbecue), it's a good idea to chain these items to the walls of your shed. You could use padlocks to secure them.

3. Pick painful plants
Believe it or not, plants can be useful weapons in the fight against garden crime. Putting thorny or prickly bushes such as gorse, holly and roses in your garden should help deter criminals.

Likewise, some smart gardeners place trellis with climbing plants such as clematis on top of their walls and fences.

Trellis is unlikely to take a thief's weight, so opportunistic intruders face a nasty (and probably very loud) fall if they try to scramble over it.

4. Be clever with gravel
Another simple yet effective measure is to lay gravel in vulnerable areas of your garden.

Gravel paths will make it difficult for intruders to get into (or out of) you garden undetected, and should act as a useful deterrent.

5. Get stuck in
If you have expensive garden furniture, accessories or plants, consider fixing them to the ground - perhaps by cementing them down. This is one way to ensure thieves can't simply pick them up and run away!

Similarly, it's a clever move to conceal heavy rocks or bricks in the bottom of valuable plant pots. This should make it pretty hard work for a thief to shift them.

6. Strike a light
Fitting security lighting in your garden is a key way to keep thieves out.

Most garden crime occurs under cover of darkness, so if you make it harder for thieves to stay in the shadows your property should be safer.

What's more, security floodlights probably aren't as expensive as you think. While researching this article I was surprised to find some lamps - complete with motion sensors - cost less than £10 each.

7. Postcode mark your property
It's important to prepare for the worst, so make sure all your garden property is postcode marked.

Write your postcode on your valuables in UV pen (easily and cheaply available online). Then, if you're the victim of crime, any stolen goods recovered by the police will be traceable back to you.

Also, you should take photographs of all your garden valuables and keep their receipts somewhere safe. This could help the police find items that are stolen from you, and it should assist you in the event you need to make an insurance claim.

8. Join Neighbourhood Watch
Finally, find out if there is a Neighbourhood Watch group in your area and consider joining it.

This should mean more pairs of eyes are watching out for your property whenever you're away - and it could also help lower your home insurance premiums.

Are you sure you're insured?
In spite of our security savvy, some of us are still likely to experience garden crime this year.

It's important to ensure you have adequate insurance cover in place, should the worst happen to you.

Check that the contents of your garden are covered under your home insurance policy. Consider how much your outdoor property is worth, and make sure you'd be able to claim for any stolen items.

If you discover your lawn mower, garden furniture and plants aren't protected by your policy, it's crucial to update your level of cover. Remember: it could cost you hundreds (or even thousands!) of pounds to replace the things you'd lose if your garden was hit by green-fingered thieves.

The good news is that increasing your home insurance cover doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to pay more. By shopping around for an affordable policy online, you should be able to find the protection you need at a price that suits you.

Have a safe, secure - and hopefully sunny - summer!

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