As summer wanes, you may be heaving a sigh of relief that you and your community have made it unscathed through another summer. You may be feeling good in the knowledge that you have been refining firewise aspects around your house for several years. And those are things to celebrate, but continuing vigilance is in order.  Firewise gardening is a continuing exercise, across seasons and years, and it certainly applies to the fall. 

The premise for fire-wise landscaping is quite simple: change the garden and landscape around the home in order to protect the structure. However, the implementation can sometimes be tricky, often involving cooperation with neighbors, and it always requires maintenance and vigilance over time to remain effective.  If you are new to the concept of defensible space and firewise gardening, or just need a refresher, see Firewise Landscaping | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Sanitation, fuels reduction

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Gathering and dealing with dried plant debris, be it oak leaves or desiccated annuals, is an important task in the fall.  It is also something that may apply to your neighborhood, not just your own garden, as dried leaves may be blown around in drifts. Wildfires do not stop at property lines, and it is desirable to get your immediate neighborhood to pull together around all firewise aspects.  What to do with the debris that you have gathered? How about composting? See It's Alive! The Wonder of 'Hot' Composting | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources for details - and by-the-way, composting might well be a joint project for the neighborhood.

Evaluation

Observe all the glorious summer growth and take note of the plants that may have exceeded their bounds. Did those Spirea that looked dainty in the spring suddenly grow enough to now constitute ladder fuels for a tree canopy above? Did the apple tree that was always a bit too large finally stretch to the eaves of your house?  Take note of these problems and plan to trim and prune when the season is right for each species.

Fall is also a good time to ‘fess up to and fix things that may not have worked out as you intended. In my own case, I have been rather negligent in keeping Zone 0 in a certain area. I did, several times, cut back and dig up the Acanthus that has always been immediately next to the house. But the plant keeps popping back up, and this year I just could not make myself chop down its exuberant growth, yet neither would I allow myself to water the plant. The result at the end of the summer is an ugly mess with a considerable amount of ready-to-burn leaves. I am resolved to go out and deal with it after this confession.

Planning ahead

Firewise gardening requires ongoing effort and evolves over the years.  Your view of your own garden may well change along with it. As you reflect on this past growing season, you may be considering making changes for the next one, and these changes may well have more to do with spatial layout and maintenance aspects than with specific types of plants. Refer back to the defensible space guidelines for guidance: Defensible Space | CAL FIRE.

A current trend in gardening is to increase the use of plants that are native to the area. This emphasis on native plants has a number of benefits, but does not necessarily make your home more resilient against wildfire.  The Master Gardeners of Contra Costa have posted an interesting article on ephemerals, which are often native to California, and which share the Mediterranean ecosystem trait of quick spring bloom and summer dormancy. A Simple Strategy for a Firewise Garden | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Article written by Birgette Elbeck, UC Master Gardener

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