Ten principles for a yard that earns its keep.
Borrowed from the best wildfire research. Refined for people who care how their property looks from the street.
- 01
Composition before compliance
Design the garden you want first. Then engineer it to resist fire. Beauty drives implementation.
- 02
Three zones, measured
0–5 ft, 5–30 ft, 30–100 ft. Each with its own rules — and its own visual character.
- 03
Hydrated plants over no plants
A well-irrigated, low-resin plant is a fire break. Bare gravel is hot, ugly, and reflects heat at the house.
- 04
Layered, not lined up
Drifts and clusters with breaks of mineral mulch read as a designed garden — not a checklist.
- 05
Hardscape as a design element
Stone, decomposed granite, board-formed concrete. Functional firebreaks that look like luxury.
- 06
Edit ruthlessly, seasonally
Dead material is the enemy. Two prunings a year, one deep cleanup. That's it.
- 07
Specimen trees, well spaced
Crown separation of 10 ft minimum. Limbed up to 6 ft. Sculptural, never shaggy.
- 08
Embers travel; details matter
Gutters, vents, deck undersides. The 5 ft around your house carries more risk than the back fence.
- 09
Native where it works
Many natives are highly flammable. Choose by moisture content and habit, not provenance.
- 10
Document everything
A site plan with zones, plants, and maintenance dates. Insurers love it. Future-you will too.