Fire-Resistant Landscaping
A fire-resistant landscape isn’t necessarily the same thing as a well-maintained yard. This type of landscape uses fire-resistant plants that are strategically planted to resist the spread of fire to your home. Fire resistant plants are great in California because they are often drought tolerant, too.
The good news is, you don’t need a lot of money to make your landscape fire resistant. And you will find that a fire-resistant landscape can increase your property value and conserve water while beautifying your home.
Choose Fire-Resistant Plants and Materials
- Create fire-resistant zones with stone walls, patios, decks and roadways.
- Use rock, mulch, flower beds and gardens as ground cover for bare spaces and as effective firebreaks.
- There are no “fire-proof” plants. Select high-moisture plants that grow close to the ground and have a low sap or resin content.
- Choose fire-retardant plant species that resist ignition such as rockrose, ice plant and aloe.
- Select fire-resistant shrubs such as hedging roses, bush honeysuckles, currant, cotoneaster, sumac and shrub apples.
- Plant hardwood, maple, poplar and cherry trees that are less flammable than pine, fir and other conifers.
Check your local nursery, landscape contractor or county’s UC Cooperative Extension service for advice on fire-resistant plants that are suited for your area.
FRENCH LAVENDER is a fire resistant plant that thrives in dry growing conditions. This low-key plant will add beauty to your defensible space landscape.
The fire resistant RED MONKEY FLOWER yields beautiful bright red blossoms. This evergreen shrub is also drought tolerant and a California native species.
The deer resistant CALIFORNIA FUCHSIA has bright orange-red funnel-shaped flowers. This perennial is fire safe and needs little to no water once established.
SAGE is a low maintenance plant that provides fire resistance while being drought tolerant.
The CALIFORNIA LILAC is the name of this colorful shrub. This fire resistant plant is drought tolerant and is covered with small pink and purple flowers when in bloom.
This common landscape plant is a smart choice, the SOCIETY GARLIC is fire safe and grows in drought prone regions.
The ORNAMENTAL STRAWBERRY is a great ground cover plant. This fire resistant plan can be used to give a lush look to your landscape.
The YELLOW ICE PLANT is a very low-growing ground cover with succulent, green foliage. This succulent requires very little watering and is fire safe.
The COREOPSIS PLANT is popular due to its tolerance to a wide variety of soil types, Its fire safe, making it the perfect addition to your landscape.
The CALIFORNIA REDBUD is the name of this colorful shrub. The fire resistant plant is drought tolerant and is covered with small pink and purple flowers when in bloom.
Resource credit: Cal Fire
Lake County Fire Safe Council © 2024. All rights reserved.
