HELP SAVE YOUR HOME FROM BRUSH FIRES
The plant list, in the table directly below, was created from the Eagle Scout Project of Timothy Hof of Boy Scout Troop 2 in Santa Clarita. It contains plants that we have tried in our Conservatory Garden, and should grow well in the Santa Clarita Valley. These plants are "fire retardant." NONE ARE FIREPROOF!
Botanical Name |
Common Name |
Type |
Height |
Width |
Flowers |
Fruit |
Leaf Description |
Culture |
Interest |
| AGAVE americana 'Glauca' | Century Plant | Succulent | Foliage to 4 foot, When flowering from 15 - 45 feet |
10 foot | Flowers approximately every 10 years, yellowish green | Pod | 8 -14 inches wide, 3 - 6 foot long ending in a very sharp tip. Blue green Variety 'Varigata' has yellowish boarders. | After flowering, the center plant dies leaving pups to replace it. May shrivel in drought, but perks right back with a little water. | Great boundary plant for corner houses or lot property lines. |
| ARCTOSTAPHYLOS densiflorus 'Howard McMinn' | Manzanita | Evergreen Shrub | 5 - 6 foot | 5 - 6 foot | Small, whitish - green, very showy in spring. | 3/4 inch round berries, edible | Dark green, stiff | Hates water when established | Red bark, Native to Sonoma County |
| ARCTOSTAPHYLOS 'Pacific Mist' | Manzanita | Evergreen Shrub | 2-1/2 foot | Spreading | Small, whitish | 3/4" round berries, edible | Dark green, stiff | Hates water when established. Needs pinching to stimulate branching | Red bark, good ground cover. |
| AZINOGANTHUS flavidus | Kangaroo Paw | Evergreen, perennial | 5 foot | Spreads by clumping | Red to yellow, fuzzy 1" to 1-1/2" on long clusters. Resembles a kangaroo's paw | Pods | Grass-like to 3 foot |
Does not like wet feet. Keep crown area dry and clean. | Native to Western Australia. Attractive to Hummingbirds |
| BRAHEA (EYRTHEA) armata | Mexican Blue Palm | Palm | 40 foot | 6 - 8 foot canopy | Cream | Silvery blue to white | Tolerates aridity when established | Native to Mexico | |
| CISTUS purpureus | Rock Rose | Evergreen Shrub | 4 foot | 4 foot | Magenta to purple, red spot in middle | Insignificant | 1 - 2 inch, dark green on top, gray fuzzy on bottom | Hates water when established | Great in mass plantings or as accents to rock gardens. |
| DIANTHUS plumaris | Sweet William | Perennial | to 12 inches | 18 inches | Various colors year round | Insignificant | 1-1/2 inch, Lanceolate | Pinch off spent blooms | Borders and rock gardens |
| DIETES bicolor | Fortnight Lily | Evergreen perennial | Foliage to 2 feet, flowers to 4 feet |
Spreads by clumping | Light yellow with maroon spots, Resembles Iris | Insignificant | Grass-like to 2 feet |
Cut back by 1/3rd to keep foliage fresh | Flowers last 2 weeks (a "Fortnight") |
| FESTUCA ovina 'Glauca' | Blue Fescue | Ornamental grass | 8 - 12 inches | Spreads by clumping | Cream colored to 16 inches | Insignificant | Blue green | Keep root crown dry. Cut to base annually | Other varieties available with variance in color. Try on hillsides, borders and rock gardens |
| HELITOCHRICON sempervirens | Blue Oat Grass | Ornamental grass | 18 inches | Clumping | Bluish gray | Insignificant | Bluish gray | Prune to base annually | Accents and boarders |
| HETEROMELES arbutifolia | Toyon, Christmas Berry | Evergreen shrub or small tree | to 20 feet | 10 - 15 feet | White on year old wood | Bright red berries on year old wood | Thick, leathery, glossy, serrate. | California's most beautiful native shrub. Birds relish the fruit. | |
| IRIS germanica | Bearded Iris | Rhizome | 18 - 24 inches | Clumping | Various colors are large and showy in spring and fall | Insignificant | Fleshy lanceolate to 14 inches |
Keep crowns clean and dry. Remove old foliage annually. Divide clumps every 3 years | |
| IRIS douglasianna | Iris | Rhizome | 12 - 24 inches | Clumping | Beardless, purple to white | Insignificant | Lanceolate, grass-like to 24 inches |
Divide clumps every 3 years | Native to California |
| IVA havesiana | Poverty Weed | Perennial | 3 - 5 feet | 4 feet | Inconspicuous | Insignificant | Olive green | Likes it dry | Native to Southern California. Use as a tall ground cover or accent on a slope. |
| LAVANDULA stoechus | Spanish Lavender | Evergreen shrub | 3 feet | 3 feet | Dark purple | None | Narrow gray | Prune immediately after blooming to keep tight. Does not like much water when established. | Native to the Mediterranean |
| LAVANDULA dantata | French Lavender | Evergreen shrub | 3 feet | 3 feet | Lavendar purple | None | Narrow gray green, square toothed edges | Prune immediately after blooming to keep tight. Does not like much water when established. | Native to the Mediterranean |
| LIMONIUM perezii | Statice or Sea Lavender | Perennial | 3 feet | 3 feet | Purple | Can self-sow | Large up to 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Thick and fleshy green. | Flowers keep color after spent. Does not like much water when established. | Naturalized in Southern California. |
| MIMULUS longifolia | Monkey Flower | Perennial | 1 - 2 feet | 3 feet | Tubular, orange or red | Can self-sow | Narrow, sticky, glossy, dark green | Naturalize after 2 to 3 years | Native to Southern California |
| MUHLENBERGIA capillaria | Hairy Qwn Mullein, Deer Grass | Ornamental Grass | 1 - 2 feet | 18 inches | Red flowers on 3 foot tall stems give the appearance of smoke. | Can self-sow | Light to medium green | Handles just about any soil | Outstanding display when planted in clusters. |
| NANDINA domestica 'Harbor Dwarf' | Heavenly Bamboo | Evergreen or semi-deciduous shrub | 18 - 24 inches | Spreads by rhizome | White | Red berries | Narrow, finely textured. Turns red to orange in winter. | May need chelated iron in alkaline soils. (We have not needed to add iron in our garden.) | Actually not a bamboo, but in the Barberry family. |
| OLEA europa | European Olive | Evergreen Tree | to 30 feet | to 30 feet | White | Olives. Inedible unless cured. (see "Culture" column at right) | Narrow, gray-green, willow-like. | Takes about any soil. Thin in winter to show off branch structure. Spray with fruit inhibitors when flowers appear in spring if you do not want the fruit. | Fruitless varieties revert to fruiting after a couple of seasons. |
| PARKENSONIA aculeata | Mexican Palo Verde, Jerusalem Thorn | Deciduous or semi-deciduous tree | 15 - 30 feet | 15 - 30 feet | Yellow in spring (attractive in cut arrangements) | Pods | Narrow, finely textured, almost fern-like. Turns red to orange in winter | Tolerate alkaline soils | Green bark and sharp thorns. |
| PITTOSPORUM tobira 'Wheeler's Dwarf' | Tobira | Evergreen shrub | 18 - 24 inches | 18 - 24 inches | White | Green to brown berries | Clean looking, dense | Easy | Good for low borders and arround pools |
| PLATANUS wrightii | Arizona Sycamore | Deciduous tree | to 80 feet | 60 feet | Catkins | Seeds in balls | Wide, Maple-like | May need regular water in summer | Native to Southern and Eastern Arizona stream beds |
| QUERCUS lobata | Valley Oak | Deciduous tree | 50 - 70 feet | 50 - 70 feet | Catkins | Acorns | Deeply lobed, classic oak-shaped | Tolerates alkalinity, subject to root rot. Keep irrigation away from trunk and out of drip line in mature specimens. Subject to mistletoe. | Native to the foothills in Southern California. Oak balls are galls created by insect activity and are harmless. |
| SALVIA greggii | Autumn Sage | Evergreen shrub | 3 - 4 feet | 4 feet | Red or white | Self-sows | Narrow, finely textured, medium green | Needs little water once established | Attracts hummingbirds |
| SALVIA leucophylla | Purple Sage | Evergreen shrub | 3 - 4 feet | Spreads much wider | Lavender | Red berries | White, wooly | Needs little water once established. Keep branches off ground if you do not want it to spread | Attracts hummingbirds |
| SESLERIA autumnalis | Ornamental grass | 18 - 24 inches | Spreads by rhizome | Creamy green | Cream | Dark green | Prune to base annualy | Good for low borders or mass plantings on slopes | |
| TRICOSTEMA lanatum | Wooly Blue Curls | Evergreen shrub | 3 - 5 feet | 3 - 5 feet | Purple | Self sows | Green on top, gray and wooly on the bottom | Needs no irrigation once established | Native to Southern California |
| TULBAGHIA violacea | Society Garlic | Perennial | 18 - 24 inches | Spreads by rhizome | Lavender | Remove | Narrow, fine, grass-like. | Divide clumps every three years | While virtually indestructible, the plant emits an odor when crushed. (Repels many small animals, sometimes even gophers.) Keep outside and away from bedroom windows. |
| VERBENA tapien | Verbena | Perennial | 18 - 24 inches | Spreads by rooting | Purple | Remove | Narrow, finely textured | Cut back or mow annually | Great ground cover |
| YUCCA WHIPPLEI | Our Lord's Candle | Evergreen perennial | 12 - 21 inches | 12 - 21 inches, Spreads by pups | Flowering stems to 14 inches |
Bell-shaped pods | Thin, pointed at tip, stemless, gray-green | Thin periodically to keep from spreading beyond desired area | Native to Southern California |
| ZAUSCHNERIA californica | California Fuchia | Perennial or subshrub | 1' - 2' | Orange to fuchia | remove | Narrow, gray | Naturalizes, no irrigation when established | Native to Southern California |
The table below lists plants that are listed as fire hazards as found in three or more fire performance references.
Avoid the following plants (Fire Hazard)
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Plant Form |
| ABIES spp. | Fir | tree |
| ADENOSTOMA fasciculatum | Greasewood chamise | shrub |
| ADENOSTOMA sparsifolium | Red shanks | shrub |
| COPROSMA pumila | Prostrate coprosma | groundcover |
| CORTADERIA selloana | Pampas grass | grass |
| ERIGONUM fasciculatum | California buckwheat | shrub |
| EUCALYPTUS globulus | Blue gum | tree |
| LARIX spp. | Larch | tree |
| LONICERA japonica | Japanese honeysuckle | vine |
| PICEA spp. | Spruce | tree |
| PICKERINGIA montana | Chaparral pea | shrub |
| PSEUDOTSUGA menziesii | Douglas fir | tree |
| SPARTIUM junceum | Spanish broom | shrub |
| TAXUS spp. | Yew | tree |
| THUJA spp. | Arborvitae | tree |
| TSUGA spp. | Hemlock | tree |
Click on the button to the left to get Adobe Acrobat.
For other Los Angeles County Fire Department Information click the logo on the left.
