The Coastal Gardener - November, 2006
Renewal in the Fire Safe Garden
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Fall, a time of renewal in the fire safe garden
Or
How to vent your frustrations on your shrubbery through pruning.
Ever notice that chaparral shrubs will sprout anew just weeks after a fire has destroyed their tops? Even in
the dry fall months, the charred stumps are already decorated with fresh healthy new foliage. They will bloom
heavily the following spring and form neat compact bushes for the next few years.
So when I think if fall as the time of renewal in the garden, the first thing I grab are the loppers! I love
to prune, it is very satisfying to take an unruly shrub and bring it into line. There is an almost meditative
quality to seeing the way the stems grows and pruning to enhance and reveal a stunning growth pattern.
Reducing the fuel load or burnable mass of a shrub is the most overlooked facet of fire safe gardens. Yes,
you can choose less flammable plants. But even the toughest among them will catch alight if it has grown dry
and woody. An actively growing, healthy shrub with little dry deadwood inside will be less likely to burn.
Pruning can take many forms. But the key is to remove any dry old stems toward the center. You can open a plant
up, allowing light and air to get into the center, or skirt up older shrubs to show off interesting bark or branch
patterns. Manzanitas look especially handsome when skirted up, revealing their glossy red bark, and contorted
stems. The resulting open ground beneath their canopy could be planted with Yerba Buena, Chilean Strawberry, or
a mix of spring flowering bulbs. In my own garden, a veteran Ceanothus, which bears a cloud of deep blue blooms
in spring, is under planted with 'February Gold' narcissus and delft blue muscari. A real must see in March!
Careful pruning also keeps your plants in proportion to the overall landscape. In my own garden, I tend to
encourage shrubs to spread outward, not upward by removing any up-tending stems cleanly at the source. I leave
no stump behind to sprout awkwardly. Instead of a shearing, to produce a single flat surface, I selectively cut
deep with in the foliage, removing whole stems, but always leaving enough behind to avoid that "cut up" look.
Most shrubs will look more natural with way.
Others, like Cotinus, or Purple Smoke Bush, get a hard pruning each fall to stumps. This hard cut encourages
lush new growth in spring with a rich purple flush. Older stems would have produced a duller color and grown
out of bounds anyway. Many native plants, contrary to opinion thrive on a hard pruning. It simulates the effect
of the wild land fire. I have a beautiful Carpinteria or Bush Anemone on my bank that had simply grown tired
looking. But instead of ripping out this lovely evergreen shrub that bears large clusters of white blooms in
May, I tried some tough love. Back in August I cut in back very hard, down to 10 inches from the ground. Already
it has healthy green leaves sprouting from dormant buds and should shape up into a nice bush by next summer.
Perennials will love the same treatment; a good hard cut will bring out a neat bun of new leaves to keep the
garden looking happy all winter.
Whichever way you prune, the point is to do it. It makes your garden look better, grow better and be more
safe for you, your family and the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting us from wildland fire.
Must have plant of the month:
Mahonia repens. Creeping Oregon Grape
Here is a great native shrub that will grow nearly anywhere and look good while it does. Leathery dark green
holly-like leaves on stems up to 2 feet tall. Bright golden flowers in late winter followed by tiny purple
grape-like fruit. Ideal as a groundcover under oaks or high trees but tough enough for full sun if planted
in deep soils.
If it gets out of hand, take the weed whacker to it. It thrives on hard pruning!
Enjoy your garden!
Dave Egbert, The Coastal Gardener
To learn more fire safe tips, visit
www.firesafemonterey.org!
