As soon as the sun starts shining, thieves will start searching for opportunities to grab the valuables from your garden. Here are Laura Starkey's top tips for improving your garden security.
This article was first sent to Fools as part of our 'Summer Lolly' email series.
Now that the sun has begun to shine, you might be thinking about spending some time in your backyard. After all, if an Englishman's (or woman's) home is their castle, then the garden is their own personal paradise.
According to research by Lloyds TSB, half of us spend around £200 per year on getting our gardens gorgeous. The same survey found that the contents of the average garden are worth a whopping £1237!
However, more than half of green-fingered adults have never checked to see if their home insurance covers the contents of their garden.
And worryingly, Halifax Home Insurance recently revealed that garden theft increases by around 52% during the summer months.
While you're planning barbeques and outdoor dinner parties, thieves are looking for the opportunity to steal your stuff.
So, what can you do to help keep the contents of your garden safe?
Fight Back Against The Burglars
1. Think Like A Thief
Firstly, it's interesting to consider things from the other side of the (garden) fence.
Look around your yard as though you're the person wanting to steal things. Do you have a sturdy lock on the shed? Are valuable items adequately secured?
If you can spot security risks in your garden, you can bet that thieves will, too. It's a good idea to make addressing these a top priority.
2. Fix Your Fencing
If your fence has seen better days, it makes sense to fix it as soon as you can.
However, fight the temptation to make your garden too secluded. While you're bound to want some privacy, try to avoid giving unscrupulous individuals the `cover' they need to get into your garden unnoticed.
Another good tip is to put trellises on top of garden fencing. It won't take the weight of a burglar trying to climb over, and opportunists won't fancy the fall (or their chances of getting caught) if they're heard crashing into your carnations.
3. Go For Gravel
Laying gravel in your garden is a simple and effective way to deter thieves.
Anyone looking to steal your valuables will rely on silence to do so -- and having to walk on a noisy surface to approach things makes thieving them difficult.
4. Pick The Right Plants
Choosing plants that are defensive, as well as nice to look at, is another way to outwit opportunists.
Put spiky, prickly plants in places where you think thieves may try to get into your garden, and around your shed and valuables.
I can vouch that this technique works... On the night a thief tried to steal my mum's yucca plant, all they got away with was very sore hands!
5. Get Super Secure
In addition, you might want to consider some of these extra security measures.
Fitting security lights to your shed is another effective way to deter thieves. Consider using high pressure sodium lights, which are cheap to run and widely available.
If you have valuable plants, try putting bricks in the bottom of their pots to make moving them difficult. And if you're worried about expensive furniture going missing, you could even cement it into the ground.
Using a UV pen to mark all of your property with your post-code, then putting a sticker in your shed window to say you've done so, is another good idea.
Finally, take photographs of your garden valuables and keep them in a safe place. If the worst were to happen, this could help the police to catch the thieves and recover your lost items.
It's also useful to have these for your records, should you need to make an insurance claim.
Ensure It's All Insured!
While all these tips should help to keep your garden secure this summer, it's worth remembering they can't protect you 100%.
Go through your garden and add up how much it would cost to replace your valuables if they were stolen. The results might shock you!
It's a great idea to check your home insurance policy, and ensure that all your garden valuables are covered up to this amount.
If they aren't, and you suffer a burglary, it could put a serious dampener on your summer.
I'm sure that facing the sunny season with no patio furniture or barbeque is few people's idea of fun -- and neither is forking out hundreds of pounds to replace stolen items.
So, why not find out if you can cut the cost of your home insurance at the same time as protecting your garden by comparing quotes through The Motley Fool?
Finally, once you've sorted security and insurance for your garden... Make sure you get back to relaxing in it!
The Motley Fool Insurance Service could get you a great home insurance deal.