Fire-retardant species are all half-price throughout the summer at Dandarrga Native Nursery at the Dorrigo Showgrounds.
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Good design and use of plants can help with fire-proofing your property and are an integral part of a fire plan. Some plants are more flammable than others, but keep in mind that, given the right conditions, all plants will burn.
Fire-retardant plants and trees can act as a 'green shield', to absorb heat from an approaching fire and may even stop the fire, if there is enough moisture in the leaf tissue. They can also trap embers and sparks and reduce the wind speed. Fire retardant ground covers can help to slow and lower the height of the fire.
The best plants with fire-retardant properties are those that have soft leaves with high moisture content, smooth and non-peeling barks, and low amounts of volatile oils in their foliage.
Many of our native trees include these qualities and the nursery currently has around 40 species in stock (half price until February 29) which have been listed as Fire Retardant by the Australian Native Plants Society - ANPSA.
These include:
Willow leaf Hakea (Hakea saligna)
Black Plum (Diospyros australis)
Callicoma (Callicoma serratifolia)
Native Frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum)
Steelwood (Sarcopterix stipata)
Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum)