Pyracantha is often used as a security barrier, inside perimeter fences, and will grow to heights in excess of twenty feet, which may look more like a tree than a shrub, though it is a shrub.

After about seven years the fence can fall down, and the site will still be safe, as they spread sideways too, into a formidable tangle which is almost impenetrable right down to ground level.

If your kid's ball goes in there, buy him a new one. It's cheaper than the Elastoplast you'll need if you try to retrieve it.

Don T.