What NOT to Plant Near Your Home: Fire-Hazard Plants to Avoid
The Plants We Love That Don't Love Us Back
Some of the most common landscaping plants in Santa Cruz County are also some of the most flammable. They might be beautiful, easy to find at nurseries, or already growing in your yard. But when fire season comes, they can put your home at risk.
What you choose not to plant near your home matters as much as what you do plant. In Zone 0 (0-5 feet from your home), even moderately flammable plants become hazards. In Zone 1 (5-30 feet), the wrong plant choices can create fire pathways directly to your structure. This guide covers the plants to avoid and why they're dangerous in fire-prone areas of Santa Cruz County.
What Makes a Plant a Fire Hazard?
Plants become fire hazards when they have one or more of these characteristics:
High oil or resin content (ignites easily, burns intensely)
Accumulates dead material (built-in fuel)
Peeling or papery bark (catches embers)
Fine, dry, or needle-like foliage (ignites quickly)
Dense, dry canopy (hard to maintain, traps heat)
With that in mind, here are the plants to avoid or remove from your defensible space.
Juniper (Juniperus species)
Junipers are everywhere in California landscaping, and they're one of the most dangerous fire-hazard plants you can have near your home. Their dense, oily foliage burns fast and hot. Junipers have been directly linked to home ignitions in wildfire after wildfire.
Why it's dangerous: Extremely high oil content, accumulates dead material inside the plant, dense structure traps embers
What to plant instead: Coyote brush, rockrose, or manzanita (with proper spacing)
Cypress and Arborvitae (Cupressus, Thuja)
These popular privacy hedges and ornamental trees are highly flammable. Like junipers, they're packed with volatile oils and tend to accumulate dead foliage inside their dense canopies.
Why it's dangerous: High oil content, dense structure, often planted in continuous hedges that spread fire quickly
What to plant instead: Toyon, coffeeberry, or a mixed hedge with proper spacing between plants
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus species)
Eucalyptus trees are notorious fire hazards. Their oil-rich leaves, peeling bark, and tendency to drop massive amounts of debris create dangerous conditions. Eucalyptus bark can carry embers long distances.
Why it's dangerous: Extremely high oil content, peeling bark catches and spreads embers, heavy debris accumulation
What to do: Remove eucalyptus within 100 feet of your home if possible. At minimum, keep the area underneath completely clear of debris and remove lower branches.
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
Those dramatic feathery plumes come at a cost. Pampas grass accumulates huge amounts of dead material at its base and ignites easily. It's also invasive in California.
Why it's dangerous: Massive dead fuel accumulation, ignites quickly, difficult to maintain
What to plant instead: Native bunch grasses like deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) are less flammable and better for wildlife. Or skip grasses near the house entirely.
Ornamental Grasses (Most Varieties)
Beyond pampas grass, most ornamental grasses become fire hazards when they dry out in summer and fall. The dead foliage is fine-textured kindling.
Why it's dangerous: Fine, dry material ignites instantly, often planted in masses
What to do: If you love grasses, keep them in Zone 2 or beyond, and cut them back in late spring before fire season. Better yet, choose sedges (Carex species) which stay greener.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
This one surprises people because rosemary is often listed as drought-tolerant and low-maintenance. But rosemary is high in volatile oils (that's what makes it smell so good) and becomes a fire risk when it gets large and woody.
Why it's dangerous: High oil content, accumulates dead wood, often grows large and unpruned
What to do: If you keep rosemary, plant it in Zone 2, keep it small through regular pruning, and remove all dead material. Don't plant it against the house.
Acacia (Acacia species)
Acacias are fast-growing and drought-tolerant, which made them popular in California landscaping. But they're also highly flammable, with fine foliage and a tendency to accumulate dead branches.
Why it's dangerous: Fine foliage, accumulates dead material, some species have high oil content
What to plant instead: Coast live oak (slower growing but fire-resistant), toyon, or other native trees
Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
Those tall, narrow columns are a classic Mediterranean look, but they're essentially vertical torches. Italian cypress is dense, oily, and often planted in rows that create a continuous fire path.
Why it's dangerous: Extremely high oil content, dense foliage, often planted in fire-spreading rows
What to plant instead: For vertical interest, consider a well-pruned coast live oak or a fire-resistant ornamental tree with open branching
Mugo Pine and Other Pines (Pinus species)
Pines produce flammable resin, drop needles that create fuel beds, and have bark that can catch embers. Mugo pine is particularly problematic because it's often planted as a foundation shrub right against houses.
Why it's dangerous: Resin content, needle drop, bark catches embers
What to do: Remove pines from Zone 1. In Zone 2, keep them well-pruned and clear all needle debris regularly.
Palms (Most Varieties)
Dead palm fronds are highly flammable and can catch embers from far away. Palms that aren't regularly maintained become fire hazards, and the dead fronds can drop and spread fire.
Why it's dangerous: Dead fronds ignite easily, and fibrous trunk material burns
What to do: If you have palms, remove all dead fronds at least twice a year. Consider removal if they're close to your home.
What About Plants You Already Have?
You don't necessarily need to remove every plant on this list, especially if they're in Zone 2 or beyond. Here's a practical approach:
Remove or replace if:
The plant is within 5 feet of your home
It's part of a continuous hedge connecting to your house
It's directly under windows or touching your roofline
You can't realistically maintain it
Keep with caution if:
The plant is in Zone 2 (30+ feet from your home)
You commit to regular pruning and debris removal
It's properly spaced from other plants
You've created fuel breaks around it
Making the Switch
Replacing established plants takes time, and that's okay. Start with the highest-risk plants closest to your home. Even removing one overgrown juniper or clearing out a pampas grass clump makes a difference.
Check out 10 Fire-Resistant Plants for Santa Cruz Gardens for ideas on what to plant instead.
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