Recently, one of my neighbors parked his truck with one tire up on the edge of my lawn. I had just spent the past year trying to improve my grass and had just gotten it to the point where it looked decent. While he wasn’t intentionally trying to ruin my lawn, it made me think that I should consider creating some form of gentle deterrent to keep this from happening again.
I did quite a bit of research and decided to pick up a couple of these signs from Amazon.
I also found quite a few other ways to keep my lawn from getting ruined by careless neighbors. They seem to be working well so far! Here are the ten pragmatic solutions that can be implemented by anyone.
1. Signs
Always a popular choice, signs posted around the property or yard are often the homeowner’s first line of defense.
The traditional favorites of “trespassing” or “keep out” will sometimes work. However, people are so used to seeing these types of signs that they do not necessarily carry much weight anymore.
The good news is that many more “whimsical” options are now available. These include signs that may make jokes about hiding bodies or that you will be entering the domain of a fictional or extinct animal, such as dinosaurs or bigfoot. Some include an invitation to keep out or leave using various forms of profanity.
Using signs with more shock value may be more effective than the usual signage. Or, you can just stick to something simple like the ones shown in the above picture. In fact, these are the ones I decided to go with, and here is the link to them on Amazon.
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2. Fencing or Walls
Sometimes a simple fence will keep people and their cars out of the yard. There are many decorative choices, from low picket fences to high slat varieties. I guess it all depends on how anti-social you want to appear or whether your HOA will even allow such a feature.
Fences can be placed all the way around a yard, unlike some of the other options on this list. They can also be painted to make them more aesthetically pleasing and fun. If a more firm but less obtrusive barrier is desired, low brick fences can be customized with color and layout design as well as with paint.
3. Lamps
Standing lamps can be a classy way to keep cars out of a yard. Placing them at intervals close enough together that it will be difficult to get a vehicle through is ideal.
With lamps, there is a lot of choice in style and size. Both tall and short lamps will do as a barrier against unauthorized cars going onto a property. Practical and modern, as well as more fanciful lamps, are easy to find, so a homeowner can choose what kind of image to have around their home.
4. Vegetation
This is probably the most popular choice for many folks since they also are aesthetically pleasing and add to the curb appeal of the home. There are quite a few options here. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Hedges
These are good, attractive options in many instances. Certain shrubs are low-maintenance and are easy for the average homeowner to take care of. Like many other options, hedges may be planted all the way around a yard or just in the front of the house along the road. There are many different types so either a low hedge or one of the high privacy types can be planted.
Trees
There are several ways to use trees as a deterrent to people looking to park their cars in a yard. They are often used as a border around a yard. There are, however, more creative ways to plant them that still have the same end result. Trees planted in the center of the yard make it more difficult to park comfortably. They also give a sense that the yard is already occupied. Sometimes homeowners select to plant trees individually or in groups in different places around the yard, making parking more difficult.
Artificial Topiaries And Bushes
In instances where live shrubs or bushes are not an option, artificial greenery can be used as a substitute. This might seem a bit tacky for some people, but in areas where water is sparse, like the Western United States, this is a common feature people put in their yards.
They can be placed either at intervals around the yard or just at the front. Often, making a full border around the property is a viable option. There are many kinds of fake bushes or topiaries are widely available, so the sky is the limit.
5. Rock Gardens
Rock gardens are popular in many areas and one of the best ways to keep unwanted vehicles off your lawn. They are enjoyable as a decoration because they can be planted with different flowers that bloom at different times of the year. They are also relatively cheap and require little maintenance.
The best part of rock gardens is that they can have the added bonus of making parking more difficult. A landscape containing just one or two rock gardens can break up a large, flat lawn that people might want to park in.
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6. Decorative Ponds
These landscaping features can be installed in most climates. They also do not need to be in the middle of the lawn to help keep trespassing cars out of a yard. A small pond placed near the edge or in the front corner of a yard will often usually be enough to discourage people from parking in the grass. No one wants to drive or park near the water.
A water feature also gives the yard a feeling of being taken care of, suggesting that there might be some consequences for unauthorized parking.
7. Spikes
Spikes are a popular option for homeowners trying to keep parked cars out of their yards. Relatively easy to install, they send an unambiguous message to keep out.
They don’t necessarily need to detract from the aesthetics of the yard, either. They can actually lend themselves to decoration if you paint them a solid color or somehow decorate them creatively. One idea is to paint them to look like colored pencils or arrange them in a mix of solid colors and stripes.
Here are some spikes found on Amazon that will do the job nicely.
8. Security Sirens
There are many security systems available that include sirens. These systems can be set up around a property’s perimeter to keep out unwanted guests and their vehicles.
While these types of systems can work for any home, they are ideal for people who are often away. While these systems can be effective, they may keep the owners up at night if a rogue rabbit happens to hop by.
Even so, these are a great option if your house sits quite a ways back from the road or your view to the edge of the lawn is obscured. Here is an alarm system on Amazon that works up to 1/2 mile away from the home.
9. Statuary
There are many types of statuary that can be employed to keep unwanted vehicles out of a yard. From little garden gnomes to chainsaw carvings, many creative choices are available.
Another idea is to include fountains or bird feeders to create a larger grouping that may work well and fit the aesthetic of your yard and home.
10. Mixed Edging
I am aware that just using one type of deterrent can be considered confining and not interesting enough for many homeowners. So, there is no reason not to get creative and combine the various types of edging to come up with a more personalized effect.
For example, lamps and shrubs could be combined to make breaks in a boulder edging. A fence could be used with a hedge in front of it to give it some depth. Any number of combinations can be used to create a more visually interesting or whimsical look. Once again, the sky is the limit!
Related 4 Cheapest Places To Buy Cinder Blocks.
Final Thoughts
Because it’s such an easy solution, I decided to throw up a few signs on the edge of the lawn. I plan to only leave them there for a couple of months while the neighbors become “trained” to avoid parking too close to my property.
Recommended Products
For your convenience, here are the products mentioned in this article.
- “Please do not park on grass” yard signs
- Round Metal Landscape Edging Anchoring Spikes
- Yard alarm system
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Jim James is a published author and expert on the outdoors and survivalism. Through avid research and hands-on experience, he has gained expertise on a wide variety of topics. His time spent at college taught him to become really good at figuring out answers to common problems. Often through extensive trial and error, Jim has continued to learn and increase his knowledge of a vast array of topics related to firearms, hunting, fishing, medical topics, cooking, games/gaming, and other subjects too numerous to name.
Jim has been teaching people a wide variety of survivalism topics for over five years and has a lifetime of experience fishing, camping, general survivalism, and anything in nature. In fact, while growing up, he often spent more time on the water than on land! He has degrees in History, Anthropology, and Music from the University of Southern Mississippi. He extensively studied Southern History, nutrition, geopolitics, the Cold War, and nuclear policy strategies and safety as well as numerous other topics related to the content on survivalfreedom.com.