Fire-wise and Rock-solid
Choosing the right plants and stones can make your yard more than beautiful

Fire-wise gardens can be colorful, too

Flowering plants that fill the garden with color throughout the year are everywhere in Peggy and Robert Petitmermet’s fire-wise garden.
Here are some of the ways they practice water conservation and firewise techniques without sacrificing beauty:

• Flowering trees of jacaranda, coral trees (Erythrina), mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), California pepper trees and coast live oaks are kept neatly trimmed. Peggy and Robert make sure the limbs are opened up and no deadwood or thick crossing branches are left to become a fire hazard.
• Bordering the canyon, a thick wall of Opuntia ficus-indica (giant treelike cacti) is a barrier to any approaching fire. Commonly known as Indian figs, these plants also prevent soil erosion, possess sculptural qualities, produce peach-colored flowers and help keep invading animals at bay. (Peggy continues to plant Opuntia around the property.)
• Robert keeps the brush on the canyon slopes below their home cut low and cleared regularly.
• Planted along the edges of rock paths are scented and ivy geraniums along with sea lavender, sweet pea shrubs (Polygala dalmaisiana) and shrub roses.
• Agave attenuata grows in profusion, blooming in early spring among the rock outcroppings. When Peggy’s daughter, Giverny, was young, she loved to stand under the giant arching bloom stalks, which she thought resembled Aloysius Snuffleupagus, the woolly mammoth-like character on Sesame Street.

Rocks not only can give gardens a firewise element, they also can add character, focus and balance, especially where gardeners have limited space or are constricted by sidewalks, fences and flat, square lots.

Here are a few ways to use rocks:
• Create stepping-stones with flat pieces of granite or small pieces of slate
• Border and edge plants with beach pebbles
• Create a rim around a small pond or birdbath with small, smooth stones
• Install a natural floor for a patio or sitting area within a garden with flat rock (also known as sheet rock)
• Provide spacing between plants (and cut down on weeds at the same time) with granite or slate

When choosing rock for a garden, first consider what purpose the rock will serve. Then, choose a color scheme and the type of plants that will surround the rock.
Rock textures and shades vary and certain rocks work better with certain types of plants. There are many imaginative possibilities for creative rock-and-plant combinations.

For example:
• Pink sandstone complements the red and orange hues of nasturtiums
• Slate and silver-colored granite looks pretty alongside blue-hued flowers such as lobelia, iris and delphiniums
• A border of Mexican black beach pebbles nicely contrast the striking colors of dahlias
• Red-veined granite provides colorful edging for the monochromatic green of a small vegetable or succulent garden