document: Most Southern Californians would agree that hills and canyons are among the most desirable places to live . But these wild , yet settled , places at the edge of the metropolis -- what botanists sometimes call `` the urban-chaparral interface '' -- are the properties most threatened by wildfire . While little can be done to control the natural fires that occur in chaparral country , homeowners can change their approach to landscaping and help improve the chances of their homes and property surviving a brush fire . `` The idea behind fire-resistant landscaping -- firescaping -- is to design landscaping to minimize the fire hazard , '' says Owen Dell , a Santa Barbara landscape contractor who has many canyon and hillside homeowners as clients . Dell became interested in the concept after the 1977 Sycamore Canyon fire in which 200 homes were lost and only a shift in the wind prevented the loss of additional Santa Barbara residences . After the fire , Dell began studying its effects . `` Many of my clients lost property , but the fire jumped from house to house , then skipped others . I realized that the landscaping had a relationship to the amount of devastation . '' Dell , the Santa Barbara City Fire Department , the city government and a number of volunteers combined their efforts and began planning the Santa Barbara Firescapes Demonstration Garden to educate the public about reducing the risks of wildfire near their homes . The concept behind the garden is that while no plant is fireproof , some are more flammable than others . The garden is a model of how to design and maintain landscaping around the home to provide a line of defense against fire . The garden is landscaped into four plant zones , with the most flammable vegetation planted farthest from the house . Zone 4 , farthest from the house , consists of native vegetation that has been thinned to reduce the amount of fuel that could feed a fire . Native chaparral flora , including oaks , ceanothus and manzanita , are found here . Zone 3 includes plants selected for their low profile and slow-burning characteristics . Wildflowers such as Pacific Coast iris , monkeyflower and California poppies add a splash of color to this zone . Zone 2 features highly fire-retardant succulents . It 's designed to be a greenbelt zone of maximum fire protection . Jade , aloe vera , phormium and evergreen currant are among the high-moisture-content plants characteristic of this zone . Zone 1 , closest to the residence , is a small area of plants that pose little risk of burning . Cactus , tobira and shiny leaf jasmine are examples of fire-resistant plants that still have a high aesthetic appeal . Some trees and plants are surprisingly hazardous . `` Those eucalyptus trees , '' Dell says . `` If one of those lights up near your house , there 's no way to save it . And the Monterey pine -- it 's so full of volatile oils , it 's almost unbelievable . '' One popular plant found almost everywhere in Southern California -- ice plant -- would seem to be an ideal choice for a firescape garden . Actually , it can be a menace . The plant produces a great deal of litter beneath that succulent surface and can smolder for days . Two other surprisingly flammable flora are redwood trees and bougainvillea . Dell thinks several successive drought years have finally persuaded Southern Californians to rethink approaches to gardening . Suddenly , xeriscaping -- landscaping with drought-tolerant natives -- is becoming commonplace and fashionable . As Dell sees it , while many home gardeners have learned to deal with low-water conditions , they 've virtually ignored another common Southern California occurrence -- wildfire . Just as appropriate landscaping can help gardeners with water shortages , so may careful landscaping help reduce the risk of significant property damage in the most fire-prone areas . The Firescapes Demonstration Garden is located across the street from City Fire Station 7 at 2411 Stanwood Drive and is open every day from 8 a.m. until sunset . A brochure available at the garden aids your exploration . For additional information , contact the Santa Barbara City Fire Department public education coordinator at -LRB-805-RRB- 564-5703 . To reach the garden : From U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara , exit on Salinas Street and continue to a five-way intersection . Bear right -LRB- north -RRB- on Sycamore Canyon Road -LRB- 144 -RRB- to Stanwood Drive -LRB- 192 -RRB- . Turn left and continue to the fire station , on your left , just opposite the garden . There 's ample parking at the station , which is located on the corner of Stanwood Drive and Mission Ridge Road .
extractive_keyphrases: maximum fire protection firescape garden southern californians wildfire firescaping four plant zones ice plant firescapes demonstration garden
abstractive_keyphrases: fire-resistant landscaping fire-retardant succulents fire-resistant plants