Firewise Plants for Utah Landscapes

Houses below a mountain with previous wildfire damage.

Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Hazards

Fire is an important part of many of Utah’s natural landscapes, including landscapes in fringe or interface areas near rapidly growing cities, towns, and recreational developments. But when people build homes in these areas, a minor fire that might have burned a few trees and shrubs in a natural area instead can become a major disaster. Throughout Utah wildland/urban interface fires are becoming more of a problem as people choose to live in previously undeveloped areas on the edges of cities, areas with trees, shrubs, and grasses that often are very flammable.

Firewise Landscaping

Firewise landscaping is the practice of designing, installing, and maintaining a landscape to minimize fire hazard to structures, residents, and neighbors, while maintaining components of the native ecosystems that attracted people to live in such areas in the first place. Such landscaping uses appropriate plants, then places and maintains them so that fuel loads decrease in zones between an area to be protected (like your home) and the surrounding wildland.

Use of firewise plants alone does not guarantee fire safety for you or your home. But, firewise plants coupled with good design and maintenance help establish a defensible space around your home or neighborhood that assists firefighters in their protection efforts. Native vegetation around homes and neighborhoods also can be managed in a firewise manner through pruning, thinning, and occasional clearing.

Firewise Plant Characteristics

Firewise plants have a number of characteristics in common, but also can vary considerably. Following are some important points about these plants and their management.

No plant is fireproof. All will burn in a very intense fire.
Firewise plants all have one or more of these firewise characteristics:
- Tissues contain more moisture, especially during the fire season.
- Tissues contain low amounts of volatile oils and other readily flammable chemicals.
- Plants provide less fuel, either by producing less litter or by staying small.
- Plants are compact or low to the ground, allowing them to be used in the landscape to interrupt fire pathways.
All trees provide large amounts of fuel to a fire, so they should be carefully placed and maintained. Broadleaved trees generally are less flammable than conifers (pines, firs, spruces, junipers).
Most of the firewise plants listed in this publication do well in open, sunny areas typical of most fire-prone sites.
Some firewise plants need minimal or no irrigation to remain green and healthy; over-irrigation may harm such plants or may cause them to grow too fast and become hazardous. Other plants will need supplemental water to survive. Know your plants’ needs and habits so you can use and manage them appropriately.
When choosing a particular plant species or cultivar for a firewise planting, favor those that are low to the ground, compact, and that stay green and healthy with low maintenance and minimal water.
All firewise plants should receive periodic maintenance, including removal of dead leaf and stem material within the crown and on the ground, pruning to keep crowns thinner and to keep tree crowns high, and removal of individual plants to break up fuel continuity.
Make sure that the plants you are considering are cold-hardy (check the USDA hardiness zone for the plant and compare it to the zone for your area) and otherwise well-suited for your locale and the specific planting site.
Some plants are weedy and may even be illegal to plant or cultivate.

Firewise Plants for Utah Landscapes

The following table lists plants and groups of plants that can be firewise if used properly in the landscape and properly maintained. Plants or groups of plants marked with an * can become weedy in certain circumstances, and may even be noxious weeds with legal restrictions against their planting and cultivation. Check with your local Extension office or State Department of Agriculture office for information on noxious weeds in your area.

Most of these plants are fairly commonly available in the nursery trade, and cultivars and hybrids usually are available. All of these plants should be cold-hardy in most of Utah (USDA hardiness zones 4 or 5). Some need considerable supplemental irrigation, while others need very little water. Be sure to learn about the plants you use and know their requirements.

Where no particular species or cultivar is listed, or when considering plants not listed here, pick one that has firewise characteristics as described above. Don’t assume that a plant is firewise just because it is closely related to one in the list or because it has a similar name.

Grasses

Scientific Name	Common Name	Notes
Agropyron cristatum	Crested Wheatgrass	resists fire spread due to growth form
Buchloe dactyloides	Buffalograss	low growing without mowing; moist through summer with minimal irrigation
Dactylis glomerata	Orchardgrass	must be mowed or grazed
Festuca cinerea	Blue Fescue	most low growing; may need to mow; stays moist with irrigation
Lolium species	Rye Grass	stays green with less irrigation than some; need to mow or graze
Pascopyrum smithii	Western Wheatgrass	low fuel loads; regrows quickly after fire
Poa pratensis	Kentucky Bluegrass	low growing; may need to mow; stays moist with irrigation
Poa secunda	Sandberg Bluegrass	low growing without mowing; low fuel loads

Herbaceous Perennials

Scientific Name	Common Name	Notes
Achillea clavennae	Silvery Yarrow	small plants for dry sites
Achillea filipendulina	Fernleaf Yarrow	large; likes dry sites; moist in summer
Achillea—other species & hybrids	Yarrow*	some are volatile; good for dry sites
Aquilegia species & hybrids	Columbine	likes moisture and some shade
Armeria maritima	Sea Pink, Sea Thrift	low growing; dry, infertile sites only; salt tolerant
Artemisia stelleriana	Beach Wormwood, Dusty Miller	needs very well-drained soil; moist in summer
Artemisia—other species & hybrids	Various names*	some are volatile; all like dry soils
Bergenia species & hybrids	Bergenia	moisture loving; medium-sized; semi-evergreen
Centranthus ruber	Red Valerian, Jupiter’s Beard	gets fairly large; moist in summer
Cerastium tomentosum	Snow-in-summer	low growing; moist in summer
Coreopsis auriculata var. Nana	Dwarf Mouse Ear Coreopsis	needs moisture; fairly low growing
Coreopsis—other perennial species	Coreopsis	more drought tolerant; larger plants
Delosperma nubigenum	Hardy Ice Plant	also other ice plants; very drought tolerant; low growing
Dianthus plumarius & others	Pinks	use perennials; needs moisture; moist in summer
Erigeron hybrids	Fleabane	moist through summer
Gaillardia x grandiflora	Blanketflower	drought, heat tolerant; moist in summer; large
Geranium cinereum	Hardy Geranium	low growing; cool sites
Geranium sanguineum	Bloody Cranesbill, Bloodred Geranium	low/medium growing; partial shade or sun
Geranium species	Geranium	use perennials; most low growing; need shade where hot
Hemerocallis species	Coral Bells, Alum Root	fairly low growing; evergreen
Iberis sempervirens	Evergreen Candytuft	also other species, hybrids; low growing foliage
Iris species & hybrids	Iris	green and moist through summer
Kniphofia species & hybrids	Kniphofia species & hybrids	Kniphofia species & hybrids
Lavandula species	Lavendar	moist in summer; compact; cut to ground regularly
Leucanthemum x superbum	Shasta Daisy	Shasta Daisy
Limonium latifolium	Limonium latifolium	Limonium latifolium
Limonium latifolium	Flax	good for tough sites & soils
Liriope spicatum	Lily-turf	fairly low growing; moist or dry sites; evergreen
Lupinus species & hybrids	Lupine*	some are annuals; poisonous to livestock; good for poor soils
Medicago sativa	Medicago sativa	green & moist through summer; low growing
Oenothera species	Primrose	fairly low growing; best on poor soils
Papaver species	Poppy	easy to grow; cut back regularly
Penstemon species & hybrids	Penstemon	use on well-drained soils
Perovskia atriplicifolia	Russian Sage, Azure Sage	moist through summer; cut back yearly
Potentilla nepalensis	Nepal Cinquefoil	prostrate form
Potentilla neumanniana ‘Nana’ (P. verna)	Spring Cinquefoil, Creeping Potentilla	very low growing
Potentilla—other non-shrubby species & hybrids	Cinquefoil, Potentilla*	sulfur cinquefoil is weedy; full sun; moist through summer
Salvia species & hybrids	Salvia, Sage*	some are annuals; Mediterranean sage is weedy; only use low growing, small plants
Sedum species	Stonecrop, Sedum	very low growing; fleshy, moist leaves; drought tolerant
Sempervivum tectorum	Hen and Chicks	very low growing; succulent; good on droughty, poor soils
Sibbaldiopsis (Potentilla) tridentata	Wineleaf Cinquefoil	prostrate, spreading form
Stachys byzantina	Lamb’s Ear	moist through summer; good on poor soils
Yucca filamentosa	Yucca	evergreen; very drought tolerant

Shrubs and Woody Vines

Scientific Name	Common Name	Notes
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi	Bearberry, Kinnikinnick, Manzanita	very low and spreading; evergreen; use on poor soils; needs little pruning; salt tolerant
Atriplex species	Saltbush	very drought tolerant; low maintenance
Ceanothus americanus	New Jersey Tea	low, dense form; evergreen; fairly trouble free; drought tolerant
Ceanothus ovatus (C. herbaceous) & others	Ceanothus	fairly low growing; evergreen; low maintenance
Cistus species	Rock-rose	not all are cold hardy; evergreen; dry sites; size varies
Cotoneaster dammeri	Bearberry Cotoneaster	low growing; evergreen; minimal maintenance; dry sites
Cotoneaster horizontalis	Rockspray or Rock Cotoneaster	very low and spreading; evergreen
Cotoneaster—other compact species	Cotoneaster	low growth form; low maintenance; tough
Hedera helix	English Ivy	evergreen vine; low growing, spreading, climbing; prune to control spread; sun or shade
Kochia prostrata	Immigrant Forage Kochia	stays green; no volatiles; clumps break up fuel continuity; don’t use weedy annual kochia
Lonicera species & hybrids	Honeysuckle	shrubs or vines; use low growing species, cultivars
Mahonia repens	Creeping Oregon Grape	very low growing, spreading shrub; evergreen; needs some shade
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Virginia Creeper	vine; tough and vary adaptable; prune to control spread
Prunus besseyi (P. pumila var. besseyi)	Western Sandcherry	small, spreading shrub for dry, tough sites
Purshia tridentata	Bitterbrush, Antelope Bitterbrush	low maintenance; good for tough, dry sites
Pyracantha species	Firethorn, Pyracantha	evergreen shrub; use low growing selections; prune regularly
Rhamnus species	Buckthorn	tough shrub; low maintenance
Rhus trilobata	Skunkbush Sumac	easy to grow shrub; fairly small; low maintenance
Rhus—other species	Sumac	fairly tough and drought tolerant; some get large; thin or prune periodically
Ribes species	Currant, Gooseberry	use low growing dwarf forms; fairly tough, adaptable
Rosa rugosa & other hedge roses	Rugosa Rose	medium shrub; tough, fairly drought and salt tolerant
Shepherdia canadensis	Russet Buffaloberry	does well on very poor soils; drought tolerant; fixes nitrogen; salt tolerant
Syringa vulgaris	Lilac	small to large shrubs; stays green through summer with irrigation; thin and prune regularly
Vinca major	Large Periwinkle	low growing, prostrate groundcover; sun or shade
Vinca minor	Dwarf Periwinkle, Common Periwinkle	similar to large periwinkle, but very low to the ground

Trees

Scientific Name	Common Name	Notes
Acer species	Maple	needs supplemental moisture
Betula species	Birch	needs supplemental moisture; use borer resistantselections
Cercis occidentalis (C. orbiculata)	California Redbud	small tree or shrub; drought and heat resistant
Populus tremuloides	Quaking Aspen	needs supplemental moisture; good if maintained in young clumps, otherwise not suitable for valleys
Populus—other species	Poplar, Cottonwood	needs supplemental moisture; most need plenty of space
Salix species	Willow	needs supplemental moisture; disease prone; some good shrubs

For More Information

Kuhns, Michael 1998. Trees of Utah and the Intermountain West. USU Press, Logan, UT 84322-7800. 341pp.
Still, Steven M. 1994. Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants. Stipes Publ., 10-12 Chester St., Champaign, IL 61820. 814 pp.
Visit the Forestry Extension Web site at http://extension.usu.edu/forestry/ for fire safety information. Also, go to www.firewise.org and www.utahfireinfo.gov for more fire-related information.

May 2012
Utah State University Extension
Peer-reviewed fact sheet

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