Fire
Forthoseinhigh-riskbushfireareassuchas
mine,theprospectofmoreseriousfirescan’t
beignored.Wecanimproveourgarden’s
resistancetofirebut,becauseeverysituation
is different,it’sessentialtoputtogetheryour
ownplanandconsultyourlocalcouncilor
fireserviceforguidelines.
If ina vulnerablearea,installwatertanks
anda professionalbushfiresprinklersystem
witha petrolordieselpump.Somesprinkler
systemsrequiremorewaterbutexisting
vegetationcanbeusedtoadvantageas
whendrenchedtheyprovidea barrier,so
youdon’tneedtosacrificeyourgarden.
Avoidhighlyflammabletreesandshrubs,
suchasconifersandeucalypts.Instead,
choosefire-retardanttreesandshrubsthat
absorbheat.Manydeciduoustreesare
especiallyfireretardant.
Chooseshrubswithdensecanopiesrather
thanopen,airyones,unlessina windbreak
wheretheymayincreaseturbulence.The
besttreesareoneswithsmoothtrunksnot
rough,andlarge,fleshyorsmoothleaves
ratherthansmall,hardones.
Choosesappyborderplantingssuchas
cliviastoreduceembersreachingwalls.
If possible,locatevegetablegardens
andirrigatedfruittreesonthesideof
theblockfromwhichbushfiresaremost
likelytoapproach.
Removeexcessorganicmulchoruse
non-flammablegravelorpebbles.Thisis
especiallyimportantnearthehouse.Locate
woodshedsandcompostheapsasfaraway
fromthehouseaspossible.
Avoidcontiguousground,midandupper
storeylayers.Whenground-levelplantings
arejoinedtothetreecanopybya mid-layer
oftallshrubs,firespreadsbetweenalllayers
fasterandmoreeasily.
Waterregularlytomaintainmoisture
levelsinleavesandpruneawaydead
growthpromptly.
Usenon-flammablematerialssuch
asstoneorbrickinhardlandscaping,
ratherthantimber.
Remove branches overhanging or close
to house walls and eaves. Rake and sweep
around the house and clear gutters regularly.
Fire-retardant
shrubs and trees
Camellias
Carob
Citrus
Clivia
Crabapples
Hebes
Lemongrass
Magnolia(Magnolia
grandiflora)
MulberryNative frangipani
(Hymenosporum
flavum)
Ornamentalpears
Photiniarobusta
Saltbush & bluebush
(Atriplex&
Maireanaspecies)
Stone & pome fruit
treesCheck with local fire services for more
extensive listings.