Gilliam County Fire Services

According to Oregon State University, Fire resistant plants are those that do not readily ignite from a flame or other ignition sources. These plants can be damaged or even killed by fire. However, they tend to produce fewer embers, the most common cause for homes burning in wildfires. Their foliage and stems do not significantly contribute to fuel and fire intensity. Several other significant factors influence the fire characteristics of plants, including plant moisture content, age, total volume, dead material and chemcial content. 

Below are a few reccomendations for fire resistant plants. For a full list, open the OSU Fire Resistant Plans for Home Landscapes PDF. 

Groundcovers: 

Silver-edged horehound: a vigorous, mat forming plant that works well in dry rock gardens. 

Creeping phlox: A profuse spring bloomer with pink blooms. 

Sedum or stonecrop: One of the best choices for fire resistance, many varieties thrive in hot, dry conditions. 

Hens and chicks: A unique groundcover with green, succulent rosette-shaped foilage. 

Creeping tyme: A low-growing groundcover with fragrant leaves. 

Perennials: 

Yarrow: Long blooming and drought tolerant. Seed-propogated varites can reseed easily and become invasive. 

Chives: A popular culinary herbe with grasslike foilage and showy, globe-shaped pink or purple flowers. 

Dianthus: green or grayish-green foilage covered with blooms. 

Desert yellow fleabane: This low-growing perennial has narrow leaves and golden, daisylike flowers in summer. 

Daylily: A popular perennial that works weel in borders or mass plantings. 

Lavender: Although it contains scented oils, this plant is slow to ignite if kept sufficiently watered and maintained. 

Broadleaf Evergreens: 

Oregon Grape: An upright evergreen with shiny, dark-green leaves in summer. 

Yucca: Recognized by swordlike leaves in various shade of green, gray-green or variegated green and yellow. 

Creeping Holly: Similary to Oregon Grape but smaller in size. 

Shrubs: 

Lilac: large shrubs knowon for their beautiful fragrant blossoms in spring. 

Shrubby cinquefoil: Hardy, bushy shrub with small grayish-green leaves produces flowers all summer long. 

Kelsey dogwood: Dwarf dogwood with a compact, rounded growth habit. 

 Trees: 

Eastern Redbud: An attractive, small ornamental with showy, pink pealike blooms in early spring. 

Flowering dogwood: A small, ornamental shrub with showy pink, reddish or white flowers and an open growth pattern. 

Birch: An ornamental tree with bright green foilage that changes to yellow in the fall. 

Red Maple:Pyramidal to oval growth habit with beautiful red fall color. 

Common Smoketree: A large shrub or small tree with unique hairy flowers that produce showy plumes. 

Thornless honeylocust: Fine leaves provide a filtered shade environment. 

Evergreen trees and shrubs: 

While evergreens keep their needles throughout the year, most have fire-prone characteristics, such as resin that do not lend themselves to fire-wise landscapes. If you choose to use a speaciality conifer, plant it as far away from the home as possible, with a few fire-wise plants near it.