3 Tips for a Fire-Safe Backyard

Keeping a beautiful backyard is tough in desert climates – but with these tips, you can keep yours looking great and ensure that it’s more fire-safe than an ordinary yard is.

3 Tips for a Fire-Safe Backyard

While there’s no guarantee that any yard will be completely fire-proof, these tips can help you create a safer backyard.

1. Space Plants Appropriately

When you’re placing plants in your yard, those nearest to your home should be more widely spaced than those that are farther – and the plants near the house should be smaller, too. Break up vegetation with decorative rock or stone pathways, which are proven to slow the spread of fire.

2. Use Fire-Resistant Plants

Plants that are considered more fire-resistant than their counterparts can grow without shedding dead branches or leaves. They also:

Grow slowly and don’t need a lot of pruning or maintenance
Have high moisture content
Have low sap or resin content
Have open, loose branches

3. Maintain Your Yard Frequently

A lot of plants are more flammable if they’re not maintained properly, but you can minimize risk if yours are watered frequently and pruned to remove any dead materials. Cut dead branches and keep grasses trimmed – and if there’s a fire warning, give all your plants extra water.

Plants to Consider

Flowers	Shrubs and Trees
Aspen sunflower Barren strawberry Beebalm Delphinium Fireweed Lady’s mantle Purple coneflower Silver lupine Skullcap Smooth goldenrod Thyme Wild geraniums Yarrow	Apache plume Arizona walnut Bush honeysuckle False indigo Freemont cottonwood Lilac Mountain ninebark Netleaf hackberry New Mexican olive Ocean spray Rabbit brush Snowberry Utah serviceberry