A few days ago, Mr. Ed was making a house call at the top of Palomar Drive in Redwood City. It was hot and dry and there were new fires in Plumas National Forest and Utah and several other places. Good thing everything’s green here so we don’t have to worry about fires…or do we? Later that day, the California Department of Forestry (CDF) declared four areas in San Mateo County “extreme fire hazards”. Roughly these areas are the “Watershed,” Los Trancos Woods, The Glens in Woodside, and Palomar Park.

If there are green trees and shrubs throughout these areas, how can there be an “extreme fire hazard”? Maybe we should look more closely. Most of the leaves on California Buckeye are dry and falling. All of our grasses are brown, tinder dry and can be ignited with a small spark or a hot muffler. Dry twigs, resinous Manzanita, coyote brush, greasewood and eucalyptus provide the fuel needed for the start of a monstrous fire. But the green redwoods and live oaks will help to suppress any fires that might start, won’t they? In Leaflet Number 2401 from the U.C. Division of Agriculture Sciences we read, “There is no such thing as a plant that will not burn. The term ‘Fire Resistant’ has been used and may be misleading. All plants will burn if there is enough heat and other conditions are right.”

Plants on California hillsides grow mostly during late winter and spring, when most rainfall occurs and after air temperatures are frequently in the 60’s and 70’s. Witness the bursts of green growth on trees and shrubs in the early spring after plants have enjoyed the mild temperatures and winter rains. Growth slows or ceases during the long rainless summer months and both dead and living plant materials become increasingly dry and flammable. California’s total rainfall is insufficient for most large trees except for those in canyons. However, rainfall is adequate for woody shrubs. The meager rainfall of last winter compounded this year’s problems. We had fewer than 14 inches of rain and the clay soil, which normally remains moist until June, was dry in May. Our trees and shrubs didn’t die, but their leaves and wood are dry and ready to ignite right now. The areas were declared “extreme fire hazards” because they are almost ready to erupt into the type of holocaust that devastated the Oakland Hills several years ago.

The arrangement of plants in the landscape may have as much, or even more, to do with the potential flammability of the landscape as a whole as does the selection of plant species. CDF uses the term “fire ladder” which is best defined as an arrangement of plants which proves a continuous fuel supply from ground levels into the tree canopy. If, for example, you have a Hall’s Honeysuckle groundcover with masses of Manzanita planted with Blue Gum Eucalyptus, the perfect fire ladder is created. Any fire which begins in the very flammable honeysuckle will travel rapidly and with great heat into the Manzanitas, which will supply a vertical rush of flame into the very flammable Eucalyptus. Substitute Monterey Pine for Eucalyptus, and it works just as well as does substituting dry grass for honeysuckle.

The important thing to remember is this: the more a plant grows and the larger it becomes, the more potential fuel it produces and, consequently, the greater the fire hazard it poses. When a plant is green and growing vigorously, its potential as a fire hazard is small. As its soil becomes dry, however, the plant takes up less water and has lower moisture content. Thus, the plant becomes more and more likely to burn. This holds as true for native plants as for ornamentals purchased at the nursery. Therefore, one or two irrigations in mid-summer may make the difference between an extremely flammable plant and one which will not burn readily.

For the night garden, Daturas and Brugmansias are a necessity. These beautiful fragrant plants, commonly known as Angel's Trumpet, open up after dark and remain open until the sunlight hits them the next morning.

Hailing from South America, these beauties prefer damp conditions with warm days and cool nights. Angel Trumpets are in the Solanaceae family, which is the same family that tomatoes, potatoes and petunias are in. However, a word of caution: Angel Trumpets are extremely toxic.

Once you have acquired an Angel's Trumpet, the next step is to keep it healthy. First, if you choose to grow yours in a pot you will need to make sure that the pot and the plant are both well balanced so the wind cannot knock it over. The limbs of these plants break fairly easily, and although this will allow you to multiply your collection easily, the trick is to grow your Angel Trumpet into a large size tree for maximum blooms.

Remember to leave enough room at the top of the pot to thoroughly water it. They need a lot of water and can handle being watered daily in the hot summer months.

Be sure to fertilize your plants with a Master Nursery Bud and Bloom or Formula 49 at least every six weeks so your plant will produce a maximum amount of blooms.

Another suggestion would be to give your plant some shade during the hot part of the day. Angel Trumpet's prefer full sun, but the heat from the sun can result in slowed growth, sparse or no blooms and leaf loss.

Some pleasing combinations for perennials include:
Hostas, Campanula carpatica, Dianthus, Ferns, Daylilies, Heucheras, Nepeta

Some of the possibilities for combinations of annuals include:
Coleus, Vinca (non-trailing), Impatiens, white Zinnias, Nicotina, Artemisia, Verbena

Of course, you can always mix and match any combination of these to find an effect that is pleasing to all of your senses.

A common decorative, easy growing perennial herb with glossy, dark green leaves, it grows up to a height of 9 inches. There are lesser - or common periwinkle (vinca minor) and the greater - or big leaf periwinkle (vinca major). Vinca minor has smaller leaves than vinca major. They flower all year long.

CLOUD COVER

You have read about Cloud Cover in the winter for protection against frost. But in the summer Cloud Cover is also a garden essential for hot weather because Cloud Cover is an anti-transpirant that places a protective coating on the leaves of your fruit trees and other tender plants to keep them from losing water and protecting them from the sun and the wind.

Cloud Cover is available in quarts and gallons of concentrate and ready to use quarts.