How2Day: Prickly Plants for the Perimeter of a Yard

Many plant species, including vines, shrubs and trees, possess attractive features, but come armed with prickly thorns. When you want to employ these prickly plants for landscaping purposes, you may not want to put them where foot traffic could potentially bring about an encounter with the thorns. You can position these species on your yard's perimeter. By using them as border plants on your property, you get to enjoy their assets, while keeping their prickly aspects safely away from your home.

Bristly greenbrier (Smilax hispida) is a climbing vine with lower stems that have a covering of "stout straight spines," according to Illinois Wildflowers. As a landscaping tool, you can use this native vine of the central and southern states as ground cover for banks and slopes, where it will deter erosion. Using bristly greenbrier on trellises and pergolas is not a good idea, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden, because of the spines and the fact that it lacks outstanding ornamental features. Bristly greenbrier can grow to 40 feet, producing greenish flowers during May and June. The berries that the female plants produce, ripe by the time summer ends, will be alluring to the birds in your region.

The honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) has thorns covering its trunk and branches. This, combined with the tree's size, makes it a good choice to keep on your yard's perimeter as a shade or specimen tree. Native to the Mississippi Valley, honey locust will grow to 80 feet. Although it typically develops in moist soils associated with waterways and swamps, the honey locust stands up to drought conditions, notes Floridata. Honey locust also tolerates high winds that would damage most trees, as well as salt spray and high summer temperatures. The tree's compound leaves give the canopy a feathery appearance and allow light to filter through. The flowers of May and June are a yellow-green combination, emerging in drooping masses. A purple-brown, elongated seedpod is the result of the flower, with the pod staying on the honey locust well into winter.

By planting the prairie rose (Rosa setigera) in full sun, you give it the best chance to gain disease resistance and produce more flowers. Native to the eastern and central parts of North America, prairie rose grows to 4 feet as a shrub, but sometimes takes the form of a climbing vine, developing to 15 feet. Prairie rose blooms just once a year, turning out a pink flower with a mild aroma in June. The shiny, dark green foliage can provide autumn colors of red and purple. Prairie rose has prickles all along its stems. The prickles help to make the prairie rose a good option for a barrier. You can also plant this species on the perimeter of your property as an informal hedge or you can employ it as a shrub border.

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