Security perimeter hedge for shade!

Spender£

Looking to plant a secure thorny hedge along a shady wall to stop thieves entering garden, i have Pyracantha Firethorn on the sunny side of the garden but i'm not sure if it will grow in shade, I had considered hawthorn but i have read conflicting articles online some saying it is great for shade others saying only for sunny areas.
I have heard that holly grows well in shade but it takes forever to grow apparently, we had a shed break-in last summer and would love a quick growing thorny hedge for shade that will do damage.

Blackthorn Needs Sun
Firethorn ?
Hawthorn (Quickthorn) ?
Holly Yes but slow growing
Berberis Julianae Yes partial shade

Sapindus

Can you clarify the situation?  You've got a big wall and on the north(ish) side of it you want to grow some sort of hedge as well, so if burglars try to climb the wall they will suffer from the thorns?

A climbing rose springs to mind.  Some of the more wild-type species have superb thorns.  Their natural inclination is to go upwards to find sun, so you could train one along the top of the wall.

Pyracantha should be OK too.

Holly is not nearly as spiky as things that have actual thorns.

I think a lot of things that say "grow in sun" would actually be worth a try so long as you can give them good soil - it can be quite dry and stony/concretey at the bottom of a wall.  They would just get a bit leggy, which is kind of what you want anyway, if I'm envisaging your situation correctly.

donemedosh

Pyracantha will be fine in shade & is by far the best shrub for keeping people out and grows about 20 inches a year. Or Quickthorn (hawthorn) which grows about 18 inches a year.

thriftwizard

Cherry plums don't seem to mind deep shade (we had one growing right up against the north side of a 6' fence) & do have quite wicked thorns, as do their close relatives the blackthorn/sloes & bullaces. Also edible, in the sense that you can make things with the fruit, though most are too bitter to eat raw.