Firewise Landscaping

  • burned Italian cypress
    Design

    Firewise Gardening in Southern California

    With so many Southern California neighborhoods adjacent to the foothills, it's important to address fire safety in our landscape. Many residents near the foothills are forced to act on clearance…

  • aeoniums
    Design

    Firescaping in Northern California

    "Fire season" is a reality for Northern California gardeners beginning in late summer through fall, with fire concerns mounting steadily each year. Wildfires threaten—and sometimes consume—wildlands, farmlands, and homes. Though…

  • bearberry conifer
    Design

    Firewise Plants for the Mountain West

    Those of us who live in the Mountain West know that our forests are filled with large stands of conifers such as Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menzisii, Zones 4–6), ponderosa pines…

  • scorched trees along a river
    How-To

    Firewise Landscaping in the Mountain West

    In 2020, wildfires raged across the west, with Colorado having three of the largest wildfires on state record. Just west of where I live in Fort Collins, the largest of…

  • firewise plants
    How-To

    Firewise Landscaping in the Northwest

    One thing that we Northwest gardeners need to start thinking about more and more is how to protect our homes from wildfires. Most gardeners in the Northwest have always expected…

  • Design

    Rebuilding a Garden After a Fire

    Today’s photos come from Carol Cowee. Her images remind us to cherish the beauty of our gardens and inspire us to rebuild when disaster strikes. This was my garden of…

  • How-To

    Firescaping: Plants That Help Protect Your Property From Fire

    Whether or not a plant will catch on fire, keep a fire going, and then propel a fire is determined by its physical characteristics. Less flammable plants, those considered fire…

  • How-To

    Firescaping and Wildfire Recovery: An Interview with Douglas Kent

    Fine Gardening's Christine Alexander spoke with Douglas Kent this past spring to learn about landscaping tactics that can help protect a home from wildfire and about ways to speed a…

  • How-To

    Summer’s Here – Colorado’s Burning – Who’s Next?

    Do you live in an area vulnerable to fire? If you said, "That's not me; I don't live in the Wild West," think again. Last September, 100,000 acres of northern…

  • How-To

    Fire-Wise Landscaping: How Safe Is Your Home?

    Perhaps you are thinking, "Wildfires only happen out west." The last time I checked, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was on the Atlantic coast. The fire that broke out there on…