No one expects our homes to be cleared of all plants to be "defensible". There are lots of lovely fire-resistant plants that can be used to create lush, attractive landscaping. But it does require careful plant selection, placement, spacing and maintenance to help resist the spread of fire to your home.
Fire-resistant plant characteristics:
- plants tend to have leaves, not needles (except for cactus - which are great!)
- leaves tend to be supple, moist and easily crushed (think: succulents)
- trees tend to be clean, not bushy and have little deadwood
- shrubs are low-growing with minimal buildup of dead material
- taller shrubs are clean, not bushy
- most trees are broad-leaf deciduous (lose their leaves), but some thick-leaf evergreens may also be fire-resistant