Fire-Resistant Landscaping Tips to Protect Your Home

When a fire strikes your neighborhood, moments count. The longer you can keep the fire away from your home, the better your chances of saving your assets.

One effective way to buy time during a fire is to landscape with fire-retardant plants.

Why Fire-Retardant Plants Matter

“Various plants have high moisture contents, which make them resistant to fire,” says Erik Katzmaier of Katzmaier Newell Kehr, a landscape architectural firm in Corona del Mar. “Sea fig, which is planted along the freeway, is 60% moisture.”

According to Jon Anderson, hazard reduction supervisor for the Orange County Fire Department: “One house had a hillside with a large patch of dwarf coyote bush. While all the other plants burned, the dwarf coyote was just slightly singed. The fire went right up to it and stopped.”

Common Fire-Resistant Plants

• Strawberry tree
• Carob tree
• Pineapple guava
• New Zealand Christmas Tree
• Pomegranate
• Oak
• Brazilian Pepper
• Oleander
• Cape honeysuckle
• Dwarf coyote bush
• Ice plants and other succulents

Fire-Safe Landscaping Requirements

In areas bordering wildlands, fire departments often require builders to use drought-tolerant, fire-retardant plants to form protective greenbelts.

“We haven’t lost any Orange County homes in a brush fire in the last few years, even though we had 297 vegetation fires in 1990,” says Capt. Dan Young of the Fire Department.

Creating Defensible Space

“By taking every precaution possible in your yard, you provide firefighters with defensible space,” says Young. Tips include:

• Remove or thin fire-prone vegetation
• Add fire-resistant plants
• Clean up dead or dying plant debris
• Irrigate properly to maintain plant moisture

Highly Flammable Plants to Avoid

The following plants contain high oil content and can explode in heat, spreading embers:

• Eucalyptus
• Junipers
• Sumacs
• Some pines
• Cedar and cypress
• Chamise and red shanks
• California sagebrush
• Common buckwheat
• Black sage
• Hopseed bush
• Fountain grass

Experts recommend removing these plants from within 50 feet of your home. If you choose to keep them closer, thin them out to prevent the “ladder effect.”

Spacing Guidelines for Fire-Prone Areas

“Fire takes the path of least resistance,” says Anderson. Maintain space between plants equivalent to their height and interplant with fire-retardant varieties.

Examples of Attractive, Low-Growing Fire-Retardant Plants

• Delosperma alba – white flowers
• Drosanthemum floribundum – pale pink flowers
• Lampranthus spectabilis – colorful, highly fire-resistant
• Cape weed
• Prostrate coyote bush – drought-tolerant
• Trailing gazania
• Myoporum parvifolium – excellent coastal groundcover

Landscaping for Different Lot Sizes

• Hillside Properties: 20-foot setback from house, followed by 50 feet of fire-retardant plants and 100 feet of spaced, fire-prone plants.
• Standard Neighborhood Lots: Keep all vegetation at least 10 feet away from structures.
• Limited Space: Use only fire-retardant plants and water them regularly.

Watering and Irrigation Tips

“Don’t let plants dry out,” says Anderson. “Dry plants are far more likely to burn. Use moisture meters if available from your local water department.”

While sprinklers may help keep landscapes irrigated, don’t rely on them in a fire emergency. Wind, water shutoff, or absence during a fire can render them ineffective.

Prevent Roof Fires

Keep plants away from rooftops. Overhanging vegetation can easily ignite and provide a path for flames.

“A highly flammable plant hanging over a roof or lying against a house is a fire hazard,” says Anderson. “Not having a shake roof isn’t enough protection.”

Maintenance Is Key

Even fire-resistant plants can catch fire if surrounded by dry debris. Regularly clean under trees, shrubs, and ground covers to remove flammable material.

Final Thoughts

“Though there are no guarantees, organizing your landscape can reduce the risk of fire damage,” says Anderson. “You’re dealing with Mother Nature—prepare accordingly.”

For more information on fire-retardant plants, consult “Trees and Shrubs for Dry California Landscapes” by Bob Perry, or contact the Orange County Fire Department at (714) 744-0400.

California Native Plants That Attract Birds and Butterflies

There are a variety of California native plants that are not only drought resistant but also charm many birds and butterflies into visiting a garden.

Plants That Attract Birds

“Many plants attract birds,” says “Green” Gene Sottosanto, a landscaper in Laguna Beach. He highlights several key species:

• Fennel: The No. 1 bird plant in Southern California. It provides flowers, seeds, and aphids—favorites for many birds.
• Night-blooming jasmine: Produces white berries that attract mockingbirds.
• Cotoneaster pannosus: Attracts mockingbirds, robins, thrushes, and purple finches.
• Privets: Favored by mockingbirds.
• Magnolia grandiflora: Red fruit attracts red-shafted flickers and red-breasted sapsuckers.
• Flowering maple: Popular with hummingbirds, orioles, and goldfinches.
• Strawberry tree: Attracts band-tailed pigeons, thrushes, and mockingbirds.
• Cape honeysuckle: Loved by hummingbirds.

Plants That Attract Butterflies

If you want to attract butterflies to your garden, consider these California natives and garden-friendly choices:

• Fennel: Also supports butterfly species in addition to birds.
• California Lilac: Attracts the Echo Blue and California Tortoiseshell butterflies.
• Hibiscus: Favored by the Common Hairstreak butterfly.
• Snapdragons: Draw in the Buckeye butterfly.
• Baby Tears: A favorite of the Red Admiral butterfly.

When G.R. (Gep) Durenberger opens his bedroom window, his eyes fall on a vine-covered arbor. “It catches your attention and creates a calming atmosphere in the garden,” says the San Juan Capistrano resident, who maintains two arbors in his backyard.

Rustic Garden Charm from the Past

Used widely during the Roman Empire, arbors contribute a certain charm to any garden. Often covered with flowering vines, these vertical structures provide a shady retreat from the summer sun, creating, in essence, “outdoor rooms.” Other free-standing arbors can be arched and have gates, seating, or swings.

“Arbors are rustic in nature and aren’t built as an addition to a house, but are a part of the outdoor ‘home’,” says Jeffrey Garton, owner of Paradise Designs in Dana Point. “Arbors blend with nature and are sometimes built with natural materials such as tree limbs and branches.”

Functional Beauty

Arbors are often used like doorways to create transitions between garden spaces:

• Connect different garden areas, such as a courtyard to a rose garden
• Define walkways or hallways between zones
• Add an inviting entryway or focal point

Durenberger’s arbors, for example, guide visitors from the parking area to his guest house, creating a scenic pathway.

Choosing Plants for Arbors

According to horticulturist Nick Federoff, the following plants thrive on arbors:

• Ivy
• Wisteria
• Ficus pumila
• Cape honeysuckle

Arbors vs. Trellises: What’s the Difference?

While similar, trellises differ from arbors in a few key ways:

• Trellises are often attached to walls or fences
• Used for growing fruits, vegetables, or flowers
• Can be used to screen unattractive items like air-conditioning units

Garton notes that trellises are great for small gardens or tight spaces where arbors wouldn’t fit.

Creative Uses for Trellises

Trellises come in many shapes and sizes, including fan-shaped, round, vertical, and horizontal. Gardeners like Marie Bouse use them to support:

• Fruit trees like kiwi and grapevines
• Vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, melons, and peas

Benefits include:

• Vertical space-saving
• Improved air circulation
• Increased plant health and reduced pests

Planting Tips for Trellises

Federoff advises caution when using vine-type plants on trellises:

• They require frequent pruning
• May outgrow the structure if not regularly maintained

Training and pruning are essential. Use garden stretch ties or clothespins to guide vines, then remove once plants grow in the desired direction.

Pruning Advice

If a vine or branch cannot be redirected:

• Use hand pruners
• Cut at a 45-degree angle, 1/4 inch above a bud
• Ensure the bud faces in the direction you want the plant to grow

Where to Buy Arbors and Trellises

Gardeners can purchase trellises at nurseries and home supply stores. Federoff recommends:

• Considering plant size before buying a trellis
• Looking for combo packages where the plant is pre-trained on a trellis

Because of their size, arbors are usually not sold pre-built. Options include:

• Prefabricated kits (e.g., Kinsman Co. in Point Pleasant, PA)
• Custom-built designs or mail-order plans from garden magazines

Designing Your Own Structures

Custom-built trellises and arbors allow for creative expression:

• Design your own patterns
• Use unique angles for latticework
• Experiment with natural materials

Wood choice is key. Federoff recommends redwood for durability, noting:

• Redwood lasts 30–50 years
• Untreated wood may decay in 3 years

“Study garden books or visit gardens for inspiration, then let your imagination run wild,” says Federoff.

One Gardener’s Journey to Natural Pest Control

Sharon Whatley likes to know what her family is eating. And it’s not always easy to find out.

“There is no way to tell what is sprayed on vegetables and fruit before they get to the supermarket, and I wanted to have control over that,” said the Tustin resident.

She started a garden in her backyard six years ago to ensure her family ate only naturally grown, chemical-free produce. But then the bugs arrived.

“When I began to get garden pests and went to the nursery for advice, they suggested I use harsh chemical methods, which defeated the whole purpose of having a garden,” she said.