The landscape is so lush in May. Shades of green are everywhere you look — apple green, grass green, forest green, spring green, pine, olive, lime, jade, chartreuse, kelp, sage. Did you know the human eye can identify more than 200,000 shades of green?
It’s hard to imagine that by summer the hills will be tawny brown. Meadows now covered with grasses and wildflowers will have dried up and put on a coat of restful gold.
And with summer comes the wildfire season. A little planning and maintenance now can help protect your property.
One thing to keep in mind is that some plants burn more readily than others. Fire-resistant plants that are strategically planted will give firefighters a chance against a fire near your home, especially within the 100-foot defensible-space zone. This not only helps protect your property, but also defends the fire crews battling to save your home.
Highly flammable plants — such as eucalyptus, pines, junipers, overgrown coyote brush, large ornamental grasses, Japanese honeysuckle, sagebrush and buckwheat — are a hazard near buildings or wooden structures. They contain oils, resins and waxes that make them burn with a greater intensity. Even when given a higher level of maintenance, they are still a high fire hazard.
To counteract this, such highly flammable plants should be placed, whenever possible, with low-growing or low-fuel plants. The idea is to surround the house with plants with a high moisture content, making them are less likely to ignite and burn.
Plant arrangements, spacing and maintenance are often as important as plant types when considering fire safety. Group plants of similar heights and water requirements to create a landscape mosaic that can slow the spread of fire and use water most efficiently. Choose plants that do not accumulate dead leaves or twigs.
Keep your landscape healthy and clean. On a regular basis, remove dead branches and brush, dry grass, dead leaves and pine needles from your yard, especially within 30 feet of your home, or at least 150 feet out if you’re on a hill.
Keep trees spaced at least 10 feet apart, with branches trimmed at least 10 feet away from your roof. It’s best, however, to keep trees farther from your house. Low shrubs can be closer in, and herbaceous perennials and groundcovers can be nearest the home.
Also, choose the right irrigation system. While all plants will eventually burn, healthy plants burn less quickly. Consider drip irrigation and micro sprays to water most of your landscape. Use sprinklers for lawns and other groundcover or turf. Even drought-adapted species and natives will benefit from watering every month or so during the dry season. Unwatered landscapes generally increase the risk of fire.
Landscaping should be well-spaced, well-watered and fire resistant. It should be low enough around the home that if it does catch fire, it won’t give the flames a ladder to the eaves or the lower branches of trees.
Other considerations may be important to you, as well, such as appearance, ability to hold the soil in place and wildlife habitat value. Some fire-resistant, California-friendly plants are western redbud, monkey flower, ceanothus, sage, yarrow, lavender, toyon, California fuchsia and wild strawberry. Also consider coffeeberry, flowering currant, bush anemone, snowberry, California wax myrtle and evergreen currant.
Fire-resistant plants from other places include rockrose, strawberry tree, Chinese pistache, barberry, escallonia, oleander, pittosporum, bush morning glory and wisteria, to name just a few.
Each home or property is different, and you will need to look at the unique qualities of yours as you plan your firescaping.
Some of the information for this column was taken from a valuable booklet called “Living with Fire in Santa Cruz County,” prepared by Cal Fire. If you wish to learn more, the booklet is available free from any fire department.
• Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at ja******@ao*.com.
