How to create a firewise garden
With the right principles, you can have a garden that’s not only beautiful but also protects your home during the bushfire season. We've partnered with The Forever Project to create a firewise garden demonstration in Gracetown, where you can walk through and see different firewise landscaping principles in action.
Here are some tips and tricks:
- Waterwise gardens = firewise gardens. The use of wetting agents and rough course rock mulch will make sure your plants get all the water they need. Having well hydrated plants means that they are less likely to burn.
- Fine fuels are deadly fuels. Dry leaves, small twigs and tall dead grass are the most flammable and dangerous, so don't let these build up.
- Get rid of ladders - remove your lower branches and keep them at least 2m back from your roof and walls.
- Stone, rocks and gravels (preferably recycled) are safer mulch options against ember attack in high fire risk areas.
- Keeping gaps between plants will help stop the spread of any bushfire near your home.
For more information, download this guide to design a firewise garden.
How to create a waterwise garden
Did you know that we use almost half of our household water in our gardens? Choosing waterwise plants suited to our climate need less water, are low maintenance and look great in gardens. Simply add mulch to the garden and use water-saving garden products to save even more water.
Here are some handy resources to help you create a waterwise garden:
- Top 15 tips for creating water wise gardens from our Augusta Margaret River community
- Check out garden designs for the South West
- Find waterwise plants that will grow best where you live
- Find out your watering day