Shrubs for Landscaping

So I learned this trick today as I was working grounds on our campus. 

You know those areas where students walk through?  Those places they should walk AROUND so as not to mess up the landscaping?

Well, my boss pointed to an area like that today.  The former landscaper, he said, got tired of the students cutting the corner.

So she planted a firethorn (pyracantha). 

Wow.  Brilliant.  I guess a thorny bush of some kind really would be the best deterrent!  It would seem totally vindictive if firethorn plants weren't also stunningly beautiful when they bloom.  (Sorry for the lack of a photo of one.  Check Google images.)

And, oh, it makes me chuckle!  It's a big enough size that I'm sure no one ran into it by accident, but it does give me quite a humorous mind picture of what a poor student would look like if they did run into it!