Time to shift the focus from fire prevention to plants

As the year draws to an end, my husband and I finished up our efforts to reduce our wildfire risk.  A notice from the Los Angeles County's Board of Supervisors in March concerning the necessity of creating "defensible space clearance" in areas facing significant fire risk triggered those efforts.  (You can find my first post on the subject here).  That notice prompted several actions on our parts, the first of which were relatively simple.

The arbor visible in the distance in the photo on the left, adjacent to our house's roof, was the first thing to go.  It was removed in late April as shown on the right.  I thought I might miss it but I don't, although the Clematis it formerly supported has been forced to weave itself into the nearby shrubs.  We also removed a wood arbor in the north-side garden, which no longer supported anything.

The next steps on my part involved identifying plants that presented a heightened level of risk, either based on their flammability or their placement.  I arranged to have twenty-odd plants removed (as discussed here).  I've since worked to fill many of the gaps, although some remain.

Meanwhile the Fire Department conducted its inspection of local properties in June.  We received notice of our compliance with current requirements in late July.  At the same time, statewide discussions concerning "zone zero," which is intended to establish a space of five feet free of flammable materials around homes in high risk areas, heated up.  In October, I discovered that our local fire severity zones had been redefined.  I was shocked to learn that we'd ended up in a "green zone," albeit just outside of the fire risk areas.  Our neighborhood of fifty-six homes and one empty lot consists of twenty homes in high risk or very high risk zones and twenty-one in moderate risk zones, with fifteen homes and the empty lot in the green zone.

Despite finding that our home is outside the high risk area, with homes in such areas less than a five minutes walk away, we decided we should go ahead in taking steps to "harden" our home in the event of a wildfire.  That involved removing wood structures directly attached to the house like the arbor that had previously been attached to the south side of the house.

My husband almost immediately began tackling removal of the wood fence that bisected our garden on its north side with its attachment to that end of the house.

The photo on the left shows the fence in place and the photo on the right shows the area after it'd been taken down.  We'd talked about getting a contractor to remove the 2-sided fence but my husband decided to handle it himself in early November.  We were lucky to get our tree service to funnel the fence planks through their chipper when they were here pruning our trees.

We've made two additional changes since then.

We'd slated the wood pergola attached to the front of the house for removal too

Once again, I didn't realize my husband had decided to tackle it on his own until I heard the electric saw going.  A neighbor helped him with the largest posts.

All but 2 boards remain as he hasn't figured out how to remove those without damaging the roof's overhang (yet).  Once again, the change doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

There was a lot of wood left behind and no helpful tree service to haul it away.  However, 2 neighbors (both with vacation homes in snow country) are willing to accept it as firewood.  

We also replaced the wood bench that surrounded the Magnolia tree in our front garden.  It wasn't attached to the house, although it's relatively close to it, but it'd deteriorated.  Rather than rebuilding it, we decided it made sense to replace it with a metal bench.

The original wood bench, which functioned in part as a plant stand, is on the left.  The new metal bench is on the right.

I'm still using the bench to support potted plants, all succulents and bromeliads

My initial focus now is on cleaning up and replanting the area between the two north-side garden areas formerly divided by the fence to improve the flow between them.  The immediate challenge is to remove all or most of the western sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) that occupy much of the area on both sides of the former fence.  I didn't plant the ferns there and I believe most of them spread from the neighbor's side of the fence that still separates our properties.  Its bulbous roots are everywhere and I suspect that keeping it in check will be a perpetual process.

Should the spindly lime citrus tree ends up on the tree service's removal list next year, I'll be eyeing the space for a small greenhouse

We've had beautiful weather for the past few days with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70sF (23-26C).  Rain was expected to return this weekend but the chances of that have dwindled dramatically in recent days.  There's snow in the mountains to the east of us, however.

 

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Further steps to manage our fire risk

"Zone zero" is back in the news here.  California passed its "zone zero" law in 2020 with the intention of creating five feet of "ember-resistant" areas surrounding homes located in very high fire risk areas.   The State's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection was tasked with creating regulations and timelines for implementing the law by January 2023.  That due date came and went as discussions moved to the back burner.  I vaguely recall some general discussion of the topic back then but the wildfires in Southern California in January reignited the sense of urgency to publish the regulations and get moving on implementing them in 2026.  However, according to an article published in the in the Los Angeles Times on November 3rd, the discussion remains heated and the current deadline of December 31, 2025 is likely to be missed once again.  Among other things, critics believe the emphasis on healthy, well-irrigated plants may be overblown and actions to harden homes would be more meaningful.  They point out that there's little scientific research to demonstrate which actions with respect to plants are effective in controlling ignitions of home structures.  In addition, while it could be relatively easy to regulate landscaping around new homes, it could be difficult to impose the same regulations on existing homeowners who could face significant financial burdens to alter their hardscaping and landscapes.

I recently learned that my own house is in a "green" zone due to a reappraisal of fire risk zones in my area.  At present, our property isn't subject to any regulations the State eventually adopts, which I assume includes those related to "zone zero."  So why do I care about the pending regulations?  I care because some homes in my own neighborhood do fall into high risk zones and it's hard to understand how fires affecting homes within a few minutes walking distance wouldn't present a real threat to my own home.  In addition, I've seen what wildfires can do.  My in-laws lost their home of twenty years to a wildfire in 1993.  And I'm nervous every time residents living around us set off illegal fireworks.

According to the LA Times article, even "zone zero" critics agree on certain aspects of the regulations under discussion, including the need to remove wooden structures attached to a house.  We previously removed a wooden arbor on the south side of our house but this week my husband and I agreed to address two other such structures.  The fence bisecting the north side of our garden is the first of these.

I thought my husband was going to contact the contractor we used when we renovated our house in 2019 to seek help or a referral to do the work but, just an hour or so after we spoke, I discovered he's already jumped in and started on the fence!

The fence's gate and its connection to the house is gone but the effort involved reinforced the need for outside help with removing the rest of the fence and the second project

The fence itself is beefier than it may look at first glance.  There are multiple posts backed by wood planks on both sides.

These photos show the new views without the gate.  The one on the left is looking roughly northwest into my cutting garden.  The one on the right shows the east side area looking at the spa with a view of the Port of Los Angeles in the distance.

This is what's left of the gate and the boards that had connected the fence to the house itself

Views of the west and east sides of the fence that remains.  At its end, our fence connects to another wood fence that separates our property from than of our neighbor on the north side,

Blending the cutting garden with the north-side dry garden may be a challenge, albeit not insurmountable.  My most immediate concern is whether the 2 tall Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl' shrubs can remain there.  I love them but they'll look even more awkward with the fence gone.  As it is, they already crowd with the persimmon tree (Diospyros 'Fuyu') on the west side of the fence.

The other area of concern is the arbor attached to the front of the house.

Our contractor argued in favor of taking this arbor down when we renovated the house in 2019 but I objected because I felt it provided a sense of enclosure.  It offers a little shade but no real cover from the elements.

 

My husband sees signs of rot in the wood and, when I looked at the overhead beams I was surprised to see what I believe is lichen growing on them

The wood mulch surrounding the Magnolia tree in the front garden should probably go too, although some critics question the necessity of that.  There was grass there when we moved it but it didn't thrive even with the heavy watering the prior owner gave it and we took it all out.  I've tried a couple of groundcovers there with limited success as competition with the tree's roots is fierce.

Photo of the area in question taken in early October.  Before I take the step of hauling in gravel, maybe I'll try adding something like Carex divulsa (aka woodland sedge) in spots there first.

I'm not entirely happy with the area I cleared at the back of our house outside the living and dining room windows earlier this year; however, I've finished tweaking it for the time being.  As the plants settle in and fill out, I may feel better about it.

I added more succulents; replanted the Helleborus 'Phoebe' that'd been choked out by a massive Arthropodium cirratum; added one of the divisions from that Arthropodoium; and planted a few more burgundy-flowered ivy geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum)

Meanwhile, I continue to be plagued by critters doing their own work in my garden.

While the skunk hasn't been since Halloween, the raccoons are back digging up my beds and stealing persimmon fruit.  My cat alerted me to their return Monday night and I thought I'd chased them away but I was wrong.  The 'Fuyu' persimmons are all but gone but I've been harvesting the prolific 'Hachiya' persimmons in hope of giving them away.  The raccoons decided that dumping the first bucket I'd collected was easier than climbing the tree.

And the gophers have returned to the back garden now that all my old sonic devices are dead.  I've thrown balls of nasty-smelling gopher repellent into the holes but I probably need more of those and possibly a few new sonic devices to send them elsewhere. Where are the coyotes when they could be helpful?!

As may be apparent, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Flip-flop on fire risk zones

I addressed Los Angeles County's adoption of "defensible space clearance" requirements in a post on March 28th.  The requirements were applicable to all homeowners in areas facing significant fire risk.  We received a notice from the Los Angeles Fire Department outlining its guidelines and notifying us of inspections to be conducted by department personnel in or around June.  Among other things, the notice specified the following:

"It is required that all trees and shrubs shall be maintained free of deadwood and litter.  Native and ornamental vegetation known to be flammable, including, but not limited to: Acacia, Cedar, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Pine, and Pampas Grass shall be removed within 30 feet of any structure..."

The fire hazard maps available online for our area at that time showed the majority of our peninsula was classified as facing severe fire risk.  Although we weren't specifically required to take any action prior to the inspections, the notice stipulated that homeowners would have just thirty days to resolve any issues that inspectors found and the preliminary guidance we received suggested that time frame could be difficult if extensive changes were required.  We decided to get ahead of the problem by taking a range of actions that made some sense to us.  We ended up removing a large number of shrubs, which I addressed in a post published on May 7th.

In July we received notice of our compliance with current guidelines.  We never saw an inspector nor received any specific input concerning future challenges, specifically the "zone zero" guidelines under development at the California State level.  As it became more and more apparent that "zone zero" guidelines will be implemented by year's end, I began formulating strategies to remove materials that might be considered "flammable" sitting within five feet of our house (i.e., within "zone zero").

One of my most recent actions involved pulling out two woody Coleonema album (breath of heaven) shrubs near the front door.  I subsequently filled in the empty area with a Lomandra, which is generally considered to be fire resistant. 

We dug up a Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' in one area of the the front garden (shown in the photo on the left) and plunked it into the area formerly occupied by the 2 Coleonema shrubs.  I made an issue of checking its distance from the wall of the house to meet "zone zero" requirements (as shown in the photo on the right).

After I expressed my concerns about the pending "zone zero" guidelines, my husband did an internet search and discovered - drum roll! - that the local authorities responsible for our peninsula are in the process of adopting dramatic changes to our fire hazard severity zones.  These zone classifications are important because they determine where California's defensible space standards apply, including those relating to "zone zero."  I wasn't able to dig up a "before" map but the extent of the changes are remarkable as shown here:

The update was published by our city in mid-June but I don't follow the city's website, which was clearly a mistake in this case
Map Source: rpvca.gov

Moreover, when I checked the rating of our property and the properties within our immediate neighborhood, which consists of fifty-six homes and one large empty lot, I was even more surprised.

That black dot indicates our location within the green (no designated risk) area

So, at least at present, our home is not situated in a fire risk zone at all. (Regardless of this, I've noted that we still have to pay the annual inspection fee assessed by the County as the fee already shows on our property tax bill.)  In total, we and fifteen other neighborhood homeowners, including the owner of the empty lot (the house formerly on it burned down decades ago), are in the clear (green area).  However, twenty-one neighborhood properties are classified as at moderate risk (yellow area), thirteen are classified at high risk (orange area), and seven are classified at very high risk (red area).  As all of these homes are within minutes walking distance from our home, the close proximity to red and orange risk areas still makes me nervous.  How the zones were established isn't outlined in any specific way on the city's site, and our zone wasn't identified in our compliance notice, but I was led to understand that the approach followed the criteria established at the State level.  The factors considered in defining an area's "hazard score" included:

• An area's "fire history"
• "Existing and potential fuel" (vegetation)
• "Flame length" (which according to Google AI refers to wildfire intensity and potential for damage)
• "Blowing embers terrain" (which refers to how wind-blown embers spread during a wildfire) and
• "Typical fire weather"

Officially at least, it appears that I no longer have to worry about the following areas of my garden:

I'm under no obligation to remove the lovely Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' or Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' I planted next to the garage soon after we moved in over 14 years ago

I needn't worry that my beloved ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' is partially intruding in the 5-foot space between it and the house, despite a serious pruning this spring 

No immediate action is required with respect to the Coleonema and Pittosporum shrubs that make up the hedge here on the north end of the house

or the Camellia sasanqua and Pittosporum shrubs around the corner that we also inherited with the garden

The fence issue is also tabled for now.  We looked at a metal fence options and calculated that the cost, including installation, ran in around $10K.

Moving on to other less ambiguous matters, we did receive "significant" rain from the storm that passed through Southern California earlier this week.  It's been called a "Goldilocks" atmospheric river event as it put a temporary stay on the start of our fire season while avoiding mudslides in the areas affected by the fires last January.  Our net rain tally was 0.74/inch.  My 50- and 160-gallon collection tanks are full.  The 265-gallon tank didn't accumulate much.  After-the-fact, we discovered that one of the filters was blocked by an inch of mud, preventing rainwater from flowing into the tank during the storm.  That, and the fact that tank collects rain off the smallest roof surface (i.e., only the back half of the garage roof), accounted for the fact the tank was nearly dry.  The tank's placement can't be helped as it's too ugly to set up in front of the house.

This is the 265-gallon tank, which is seated flush with the back of the garage wall.  The clogged filter is shown in a closeup photo on the right.  It attached directly to the roof gutter.  There's a second filter the water passes through below it at the top of the tank itself.

I filled these plastic trugs with water flowing down the rainchain that I couldn't otherwise capture.  The first round I collected was used to water plants under the roof's overhang area and container plants sitting next to the house.  I dumped the water I collected after that into the 265-gallon tank once the clogged filter issue was resolved.  It was a pittance but at least it's a start.

The best news is that the garden is currently fully saturated.  I should be able to leave our irrigation system off for more than a week without touching any of the collected rainwater.  The only negative is that my work in the cutting garden remains on hold until the soil in the raised planters dries out and can be worked again.

All but one of the dahlia plants and tubers in the raised beds are gone.  I removed all 'Lady Darlene's' damaged foliage but she still has a few fat buds so I've given her another brief reprieve.  There are also 3 large foxgloves left in the middle planter I haven't made a decision about - they never bloomed but might do so in the coming cool season; however, they also may prevent me from getting any remaining tentacles of the dahlia tubers out to avoid a replay of the mosaic virus. 

Meeko and I may be getting some time off this weekend.

As soon as our daytime temperatures dropped into the 60sF, I turned on the heating pad below Meeko's pink afghan and she's been calmer ever since

 

Enjoy a great weekend and thumbs up if you're joining a "No Kings" march on Saturday!

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Hardscaping in Progress

The title of this post doesn't apply to my garden but rather to a property across the canyon, readily visible from my backyard.  I used to walk through that neighborhood on occasion but this home is located at the dead end of a spur road and I've never seen it in person.  The house was under renovation for years but, when it was put up for sale in 2021, I looked up the listing online as I was curious about the garden surrounding the house.  The only "garden" shots included in the listing were small fenced areas close to the house.  From a distance, it appears that the land is more sloped than flat and most of the plants I can see appear to be common coastal scrub.  Like mine, the property is a over half an acre in size.

Earlier this year I noticed that the homeowners were doing a bit of puttering with plants but I didn't see much in the way of significant activity until this summer.  A concrete mixer moved in at one point and it looked as though raised planters might be under construction.  I wondered if the homeowners might be planning to terrace the area below the house (which I can't see).  After a lull, hardscaping activity started in August.

Another step was added to the pink stairway extending from the driveway and rails went up in mid-August

A couple days later a raised platform was under construction

Several days later, another stairway attached to the raised platform was being constructed

By September 1st the platform had become another patio level and handrails were in place

It looked as though the new patio space was closed off on the right by a wood fence for a few days

However, instead of ending the patio where the fence stood on September 4th, work on a raised walkway began days later.

The right side fence came down and construction moved along the wall adjacent to the driveway

My latest photo on September 15 shows a continuation of the raised walkway, feet above the bare ground, just above where the slope drops further down

The workers have been there every day.  Luckily, they don't make a lot of noise but I'm still unclear on whether there are any plans for the garden landscaping around the hardscaping.  There's a lot of land to work with both below the new structure and in the upper areas of the lot.

There's a huge sloped area above the house and driveway.  The photo on the left shows another stairway leading to the upper reaches of the property and a concrete gulley.  I spotted another garden platform higher up (shown on the right).  Initially, I wasn't sure it was part of the property as boundary lines often aren't clear in our area.

However, when I noticed pots matching those on the upper outlook on the main level patio, I realized that the upper area must also belong to the same homeowners

I do hope to see some landscaping at some point.  Surely they don't plan on leaving the area below the new, lower-level patio or the new raised walkway empty to collect weeds?  

As California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection works to complete the regulations associated with "zone zero" by the end of the year, I also had to wonder if the homeowners new patio and walkways have been checked against the draft guidelines.  (A new Los Angeles Times article concerning "zone zero" guidelines can be found here.)  Although those guidelines won't apply to existing structures immediately, it sounds as though compliance will be required within three years of their publication.  In the case of our own property, that highlights the issue of the connection between the gate and fence on the northeast side of our house.  Even if the State doesn't have the resources to enforce the new regulations, it appears that insurers are poised to take up the issue when it comes to approving fire insurance coverage.  There may be some challenges on the horizon for all homeowners in high fire risk areas like mine in the upcoming years.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

The itch to get moving

The itch to start my fall garden cleanup has already started.  I've begun cutting back and cleaning up plants here and there, even if it might be more prudent to wait out the worst of summer's heat.  One morning I decided to tackle a large clump of Coleonema album (also known as white breath of heaven).  I inherited several of these shrubs with the garden when we purchased the house almost fifteen years ago.  The clump in question sits to the right of the front door.  I pass it multiple times a day and it'd lost its shape.  I'd asked the gardener to cut it back but, while he reduced about a foot in height, it didn't look much better.  I decided to shape it up myself - and got carried away.

I was working under the false impression that there was a single shrub here but there turned out to be 2 badly gnarled plants.  I didn't manage to carve out even one well-balanced plant as I pruned more deeply into them.

The branches were badly twisted and mostly bare below the top growth

Both trunks were in similar shape

Despite the shabby shape I left them in, the two plants could spring back.  I cut another of these shrubs back several months ago and it doesn't look half bad now.

This is the refreshed Coleonema that sits 9-10 feet away from the clump to the right of the front door along the same wall

However, I already had some apprehension about keeping these shrubs given how closely they're planted to the house.  Interestingly, when I queried Google about the plant's flammability, the AI overview tagged Coleonema album as flammable due to the oils in its feathery foliage but the query concerning its cousin, Coleonema pulchellum, which I also have in my garden, stated that it "is not listed among highly flammable plants."  Both plants are feathery in texture and have scented foliage, although Coleonema album definitely has a heavier scent.  Perhaps that accounts for the difference with respect to their flammability but I don't yet have a lot of confidence in the AI assessments.  Still, there's only so much information available to work with.

The flammability of the Coleonema album presents a conundrum, especially given the placement of the plants and their very woody bases.  The two shrubs to the right of the front door aren't the only specimens of concern either.

This is the clump of Coleonema album on the left side of the front door.  It's also composed of 2 shrubs, although as a whole they look healthier at present than those on the right side of the door.

In addition to the two Coleonema album to the left of the front door, there are three more of the same shrubs around the corner of the house in front of our bedroom windows, next to two relatively fire resistant Pittosporum tobira shrubs.  

The 3 Coleonema shrubs and 2 Pittosporum form a mixed hedge of a sort here

This means I'm once again considering what to do with a selection of plants placed directly adjacent to the house.  At a minimum, I should probably replace the Coleonema shrubs near the front door.  I was initially thinking of replacing the four plants with two new ones that could be better maintained.  But, given their flammability rating, I'm considering abandoning Coleonema for Lomandra longifolia, a grass-like plant which is regarded as fire resistant.  There are two cultivars under consideration, both of which I'm already growing in my garden.

This is one of many Lomandra 'Breeze' plants in my garden.  It sits only a few feet away from the beleaguered Coleonemas under discussion.

This is one grouping of Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' elsewhere in my front garden.  There are 5 of the plants here and I could conceivably relocate 2 of them.

My only hesitation is that I've got numerous specimens of both Lomandras.  But then repetition can be a good thing in a garden, can't it?  There are variegated Pittosporum tobira shrubs in place on the right side of the house already so I'm wondering if the solid green Lomandra 'Breeze' would be preferable to 'Platinum Beauty' there.

The area next to the Coleonemas is currently planted with a 6-7 foot long Pittosporum hedge and lots of Agapanthus, all of which also came with the garden

Other additions could include more Agapanthus, either transplants of overcrowded bulbs from other parts of the garden or maybe some of the newer varieties in darker blue colors.  Given the "zone zero" initiative in California that would involve removing any combustible materials within five feet of homes, there's little point in planting anything too precious.  I'm also inclined to add some stepping stones there (to facilitate pruning the back of the Pittosporum hedge) and a low-growing groundcover.  What to do with the three Coleonema album grown in front of our bedroom remains a quandary.

The plants in the front garden aren't my only concern.  Two days ago I was shocked to see dead foliage in the middle of the huge Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' growing in the dry garden on the northeast side of the house.  Big as it is, I love that plant and was immediately alarmed.

The foliage hadn't just turned tawny in the sun

I quickly found a large broken branch

I was initially relieved to find the broken branch but, when I stepped back and took another look at the plant, I saw evidence of more brown foliage.

There was a lot more dry foliage, although it wasn't everywhere

I usually cut back this Leucadendron in late spring but I failed to do so this year.  I'm hoping that the shrub just needs a good pruning to tidy it up.  However, that'll have to wait until we get cooler weather as maneuvering through the interior of that plant involves considerable effort and I've already soaked myself in sweat a couple times this week.  I'd rather handle it myself than add it to the list for my tree service in October or November.  It looks as though the majority of the plant's foliage is healthy.

Most of the plant still looks good

   

We'd expected cooler temperatures this week than we got.  We still hit 90F (32C) yesterday.  There were chances of thunderstorms in the forecast for days.  My husband got soaked going from the dentist's office to his truck following an appointment on Wednesday while he was in nearby Torrance and had to use his windshield wipers until he reached four miles from home so some people got a touch of rain, just not us.  I've taken the majority of my daily walks in the morning as walking in the late afternoon hasn't been at all pleasant.  Those walks provided several sightings of the local peafowl, though.  They're clearly here to stay!

I spotted what I think now was probably a juvenile male on a neighbor's front doorstep.  I didn't disturb him but I texted the couple a photo.  I can't say they were pleased to see it.

I spent one walk in step with another juvenile male.  The next morning I spotted one near the very top of a 40-foot pine tree but my cell phone didn't get a clear picture of him.

In contrast, the peahens remained on solid ground

Wherever you are, I hope your weather is good or at least getting better.  Have a pleasant weekend!

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party