Living in a beautiful wildland-urban interface area like La Habra Heights, Malibu, or Altadena means balancing two priorities:

• Enjoying nature
• Defending your home from wildfire

One of the smartest moves homeowners can make is embracing fire-resistant landscaping.

Done right, your yard can still be gorgeous — while serving as a powerful first line of defense against wildfires.

Here’s how.

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🔹 Note: While many of our examples reference La Habra Heights, the principles of brush clearance and firewise landscaping apply across Southern California’s wildfire-prone zones — including Malibu, Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica Mountains, and hillside communities throughout Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Ventura Counties.

We focus on La Habra Heights for a reason:
LHH is a wildfire-resilient city with an excellent reputation for proactive fire safety.

• The La Habra Heights Fire Department (LHHFD) is highly regarded and is a hands-on training ground for fire science students from Rio Hondo College, many of whom go on to become firefighters throughout OC and LA Counties.
• LHHFD’s experience, training, and brush clearance enforcement are respected across the region, making their 2024 standards an ideal model for best practices.

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🌿 What Is Fire-Resistant Landscaping?

Fire-resistant landscaping doesn’t mean a barren, desert-scape.

It means designing your outdoor space using:

• Plants that are less likely to ignite.
• Layouts that slow fire spread.
• Materials that don’t fuel flames.

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🔥 Best Plant Choices for Fire-Resistant Landscaping

✅ Succulents:

• Ice plant, aloe vera, sedum
• High moisture content resists burning

✅ California Native Plants:

• Toyon (California Holly)
• Coffeeberry
• California Lilac (Ceanothus)

✅ Firewise Trees:

• Coast Live Oak
• Western Redbud
• Olive Trees (pruned properly)

✅ Groundcovers:

• Creeping thyme
• Dymondia
• Mulched beds (with inorganic mulch like gravel)

✅ See why the right timing for clearing and planting matters.

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🚫 Plants and Materials to Avoid

• 🌾 Pampas grass
• 🌾 Fountain grass
• 🌲 Juniper bushes
• 🌲 Cedar trees
• 🌴 Fan palms (dead fronds = fuel ladders)

Avoid anything:

• Resinous
• Highly oily
• Fast-drying

✅ Learn about ladder fuels and why they’re so dangerous here.

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🛠️ Key Design Principles for Fire-Resistant Yards

✅ 1. Zone Landscaping Strategically

• Use less combustible plants nearest to the home (Zone A).
• Allow thicker groupings farther out (Zone B).

✅ Brush Clearance Zones explained here.

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✅ 2. Break Up Fuel Continuity

• Use pathways, gravel beds, or decorative hardscape to separate plant groupings.

✅ 3. Prune, Thin, and Maintain

• Regularly remove dead leaves, branches, and overgrowth.
• Maintain healthy moisture levels in plants.

✅ Follow our Brush Clearance Checklist to stay fully protected.

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✅ 4. Choose Non-Combustible Building Materials

• Gravel, stone, concrete, and decomposed granite (DG) make excellent patios, pathways, and borders.

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📋 Bonus Tip: Create a Buffer Around the Home

Maintain a 5-foot non-combustible zone around all structures:

• No plants against siding
• No bark mulch against the house
• Use only rock or stone in this critical area

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🌟 Final Thought

Beautiful landscaping and wildfire safety can absolutely coexist —
if you choose smart plants, smart layouts, and consistent maintenance.

You don’t have to give up green living to stay fire-safe.

✅ Visit our full Brush Clearance Resource Center for diagrams, plant lists, and professional tips.
✅ Need help creating or maintaining a fire-resistant yard? Contact us today.