Prickly plant advice

[MikeWazowski]

Can I have some advice please, we're moving to a new bungalow and my bedroom window is only 4ft from the road. What can I plant they'll grow easily and give me a little bit of security. I am a bit of a gardening novice but am happy for a bit of hard work to make things look good and for me to feel a bit less exposed.

We're south-east England if that makes a difference.

Pyracantha makes a good prickly hedge . You could mix red and orange berried varieties. Berberis is also thorny but attractive.

I recently saw some beautiful pyracanthas at my local garden centre with two tone cream and red berries. They made a change from the usual colours.

You could also plant holly. It's cheap and cheerful. I don't like it much myself but its robust and easy to grow. There are lots of varieties so do a bit of research before you choose.

Pyracantha, berberis, holly, mahonia, hawthorn, blackthorn

All will cope fine with being trimmed into a rough hedge
all will give you flowers and berries
once established, all will make fantastic cover for small birds and mammals and insects

plant them about a foot apart - 2 foot high plants, trim the tops to make them bushy and they will get to 4 foot in no time and thick in a couple of years.

Thank you all, I shall be in the garden centre this weekend armed with your advice.