wildfire prepared property contains a forest of ember-defenders

When we first visited this space, we were reminded of the Oak Forest of Descanso Gardens. It feels magical – it’s tens of degrees cooler than the surrounding area and full of life. The forested space, one of the most charming aspects of the property, is also among its most fire defensive. Featured in Sunset Magazine in 2024, the expansive, native Coast Live Oak-filled area illustrates a critical line defense against wind-driven embers.

Designing for fire defense doesn’t mean you can’t still have an enjoyable entertaining paradise.
In fact, [FormLA Landscaping’s] work reflects the best of both worlds
with lush, leafy, fragrant, ever-evolving gardens that are full of life. 

Sunset Magazine 2024

Project Snapshot

Dense, small and leathery Coast Live Oak tree canopies evolved to thrive in low water and high-heat conditions. While there is no fire-proof plant, healthy Coast Live Oak have been known to “sink” embers, effectively resisting ignition as they intercept them. Even when cut and cured for firewood, their hardwood trunks and branches are famously slow to ignite and slow to burn.

Part of our job with the landscape design was to defend these defenders. This looks like giving them an understory that helps them stay healthy and hydrated in low water years and grows well in the deep, cool shade below their canopies.

See the distance between the lowest parts of the tree canopy and the understory foliage? That is an important characteristic, as is the ability of each plant selected to thrive in shade as well as drought and to root deep enough to help retain the slope.

As human made materials ignite faster, burn hotter, cast more embers, and achieve higher flame heights than plant life, they are the greatest danger on any property. The use of ember resistant cement and metal for the walls, walk, stairs, and rails is critical to the defense of the property’s structures as well as its forested space.

Learn about more fire defensive landscaping strategies in our Resources section.

Plant Palettes

If you are looking to defend a home from wildfire or simply to protect a beloved oak tree in low water years, check out the following plant palettes in Pinterest, where you can save your favorite ideas.

Enjoy the company of feathered friends? This garden is a must see!

If birds ran Yelp!, this songbird restaurant would get top ratings! It’s bursting with native blooms, berries, and seeds throughout the year. In addition to a great meal, birds of several feathers find the kind of lush, leafy, safe habitat that encourages them to return again and again.

Leor, Gordon and Johnny Ownby hosted the Native Plant Garden Tour for the second time in 2025.

Spring Tour Snapshot

Tour day delighted us! Thank you to those who visited, to Theodore Payne Foundation who hosted, and to our delightful docents, Teresa and Brynne! Most especially, thank you to Leor, Gordon and Johnny for being such hospitable, engaging hosts. Here is a snapshot of the tour day joy.

We’ve never seen so many visitors with large, professional cameras! While we’d love to think they came to capture one of our gardens, we know they hoped to capture the interest of award-winning photographer, Gordon Ownby, who generously shares his bird photo secrets.

Everyone has moments to remember. The Ownby’s enjoyed in-garden conversations and simply watching as visitors linger at the manzanitas and lilacs at the garden’s entrance. We were thrilled to see the pocket gardens Leor created, adding more California Lilac, Woolly Blue Curls and other favorites. Of course, we were all thrilled 2021 Tour Host Teresa Mackey joined us as a docent!

Our most memorable moments? Every time we caught someone realizing Leor’s coffee table bonsai is a ceanothus! The surprise and delight! We can’t wait to learn if it will host full sized blooms or mini-flowers as tiny as its glossy leaves.

Winter Snapshot

Gordon keeps his camera at the ready in winter too. Birds feast on Toyon berry and Manzanita nectar. They enjoy the deep cover provided by the diverse and abundant foothill-indigenous plants.

Summer Snapshot

Here, the Ownby’s front garden shows off its summer look. Still lush, leafy, generous habitat, many of the spring-blooming plants begin to berry or go to seed. Others host new, summer blooms.

See more photos in the full project gallery in Houzz, where you can save your favorite ideas.

Plant Palettes

Want to create a forever tweeting wildlife garden? Check out the plant palette of the Ownby’s Songbird Garden, and save your favorite bird garden ideas in Pinterest. For Gordon Ownby’s tips on capturing spectacular wildlife photos, see our Client Insights section.