see the beauty of a low maintenance, fire-defensive garden
Los Angeles Fire Department Station 74 (Website, Facebook) models an optimally fire-wise landscape aesthetic and beautifies an industrial segment of Foothill Boulevard in Sunland-Tujunga. The highly sloped garden includes a young native oak, a dry river to direct water, and a mix of low-maintenance, native foliage selected for fire defense.
The garden was then-sixteen year old Travis Whitcomb’s Eagle Scout project. Whitcomb noticed the barren area and committed to providing the fire fighters with a beautiful, easy to maintain space. He also aimed to provide the Sunland-Tujunga community with a model for fire-wise landscaping. Whitcomb harnessed the goodwill of community members from throughout Sunland-Tujunga, including FormLA Landscaping, to design and install the garden.
Plant Palette
While no plant is fire proof, there are plants that hold hydration well in high, dry heat and do not travel to wild spaces. When well placed, spaced and maintained, they can be fire defensive. See our Pinterest page for the LAFD Station 74 palette, as well as those for other fire defensive landscapes.