Fire Resistant Plants for Your Landscape

Fire Resistant Plants to Grow

Courtesy Noelle Johnson

Wildfire danger is a risk and reality that many people across the country have to deal with. Creating a defensible space around your home and property is a crucial step to help minimize the risk of (and hopefully prevent!) fire damage. If you live in an area with frequent wildfires, it’s important to choose the right plants to add to your landscape. Some plants are more fire resistant than others. Where do birds go during a storm?

There are certain characteristics of fire resistant plants that you can look for in your local plant nursery.

• Deciduous plants are generally fire-resistant because their leaves are full of moisture, and in winter their bare branches make the spread of fire difficult.
• Drought tolerant plants tend to be fire resistant due to their succulent or small leaves.
• Choose plants that don’t accumulate a lot of dead leaves and branches. Dry leaf litter and kindling is fuel for a fire.
• Look for plants that do not have a high resin content. These plants also tend to be deciduous.
• Slow-growing plants that do not require a lot of pruning are also good examples of fire resistant plants.

Learn how to grow drought-tolerant agave plants and aloe vera plants.

Fire Resistant Shrubs

Courtesy Jill Staake

• Alyogyne huegelii – Blue hibiscus
• Calliandra californica – Baja fairy duster
• Eremophila maculata – Valentine bush
• Leucophyllum species – Texas ranger (sage)
• Nandina domestica – Heavenly bamboo
• Nerium oleander – Oleander
• Pittosporum tobira – Pittosporum
• Photinia fraseri – Fraser’s photinia
• Pyrachantha fortunei – Pyracantha
• Rhus ovata – Sugar bush
• Salvia leucantha – Mexican bush sage
• Simmondsia chinensis – Jojoba
• Tecomaria capensis – Cape honeysuckle

Learn how to grow a drought tolerant rosemary shrub.

Fire Resistant Perennials

Noelle Johnson

• Coreopsis species – Coreopsis
• Dietes vegeta – Fortnight lily
• Gaura lindheimeri  – Gaura (Whirling Butterflies)
• Lavendula species – Lavender
• Penstemon species – Penstemon
• Salvia greggii – Autumn sage

Drought-tolerant blackfoot daisy can take the heat.

Fire Resistant Groundcover Plants

GALUMPHING GALAH/GETTY IMAGES

• Drosanthemum species – Ice plant
• Gazania species – Gazania
• Lantana species – Lantana
• Myoporum parvifolium – Myoporum
• Vinca minor – Dwarf periwinkle

Learn how to repair and care for storm damaged trees.

Fire Resistant Vines

Patrick Civello/Shutterstock

• Trachelospermum jasminoides – Star jasmine

Also try drought-tolerant butterfly vine.

Fire Resistant Trees

Noelle Johnson

• Acacia farnesiana – Sweet acacia, Acacia salicina – Willow acacia, Acacia stenophylla – Shoestring acacia
• Brachychiton populneus – Australian bottle tree
• Callistemon viminalis – Weeping bottlebrush
• Chilopsis linearis – Desert willow
• Citrus – Citrus
• Fraxinus species – Ash
• Olea europaea – Olive
• Parkinsonia species – Palo verde
• Pistacia chinensis – Chinese pistache
• Prunus species – Plum/peach/apricot trees
• Rhus lancea – African sumac
• Schinus terebinthifolius – Brazilian pepper

Also try these drought resistant trees and plants to grow for birds. Looking for more information on fire resistant landscaping? Check out firewise.org.