Fire-wise trees, shrubs & groundcovers to slow an advancing bushfire
🌿 Green buffer, not a fire wallUse low-flammability plants, smart layout and good maintenance to help break up fuel, slow embers and protect your home from radiant heat. Choose what suits your part of Geelong or greater Victoria.
Always follow official advice. This page is general information only and does not replace CFA or VicEmergency warnings.
Select the area that best matches your property:
Showing plants that suit Geelong & coastal gardens – sandy soils, salt and wind.
Zone A · Geelong, Bellarine & coastal fringe
Coastal & urban Geelong – low, green and salt-tolerant
Coastal and bayside parts of Geelong often have sandy soils, salty winds and hot, dry summers. Aim for dense, moist foliage, low oil content and tidy plants with minimal bark and leaf litter.
Smaller feature trees 🌳
- Tristaniopsis laurina (Water gum) Smooth bark, glossy leaves, good coastal choice when kept pruned and watered.
- Banksia integrifolia (Coastal banksia) Suits coastal Geelong; avoid under-planting with shrubs and keep lower limbs pruned to reduce fuel.
- Citrus spp. (Lemon, orange) Soft, moist foliage with low oil; more useful in near-house areas than many native gums.
Compact shrubs 🌿
- Westringia fruticosa (Coastal rosemary) Dense, compact shrub; keep clipped to reduce twiggy growth and remove dead wood.
- Callistemon & Melaleuca hybrids (Bottlebrush) Tough and bird-friendly; suit outer parts of the garden if pruned up from the ground.
- Correa alba & Correa reflexa (Native correa) Low, rounded shrubs, good under windows where foliage is kept green and mulched lightly.
Groundcovers & strappy plants 🪴
- Lomandra longifolia & cultivars Strappy, clumping grass widely recommended as slower to ignite when kept green and trimmed.
- Dianella revoluta & hybrids (Flax-lily) Tough clumps with waxy leaves; remove old, dry foliage each year before fire season.
- Succulents (Carpobrotus, Aloe, etc.) Fleshy, moisture-rich leaves can help absorb heat near paths and edges when kept weed-free.
Zone B · Central & western Victoria plains
Hotter inland blocks – lawns, paths and tough hedge plants
Open plains and inland townships experience higher summer heat and fast-moving grassfires. Use mown lawn, gravel paths and wide breaks around hedges and windbreaks.
Shade & orchard-style trees 🌳
- Deciduous maples & elms Typically have softer, moister foliage and smoother bark – plant well clear of the house and prune up from the ground.
- Fruit trees (Apples, pears, stone fruit) Useful shade and food trees with relatively low oil content compared with many gums.
- Casuarina & Allocasuarina (She-oak) Some species are rated as slower to ignite; keep needles raked and avoid dense under-shrubs.
Hedges & feature shrubs 🌿
- Viburnum tinus, Abelia, Escallonia Evergreen hedges with relatively moist foliage; keep them clipped, with clear gravel or lawn breaks.
- Myoporum parvifolium (Creeping myoporum) Low groundcover used as a living mulch; trim back dry, woody patches before summer.
- Callistemon & Grevillea cultivars Space in clumps with paths or lawn between; avoid long, continuous shrubby belts to the house.
Lawns, tussocks & low fillers 🪴
- Short, irrigated lawn (native or exotic) A key defendable-space tool when kept short, green and free of dry clippings.
- Agapanthus (in managed clumps) Fleshy leaves can slow ignition; remove dead leaves and spent flower stalks to avoid dry litter.
- Native tussocks (Poa, Themeda in low-fuel strips) Use sparingly near buildings; slash or mow surrounding grass to avoid continuous fuel.
Zone C · Foothills & forest-edge townships
Among the trees – break up fuel and lift the canopy
In forest and foothill settings, the biggest gains come from separating layers of fuel: fewer shrubs under trees, more low groundcovers, and well-spaced taller trees away from buildings.
Retain & manage existing trees 🌳
- Well-spaced eucalypts Keep branches at least 1.5× mature tree height from the house and thin so crowns do not touch.
- Acacia & other quick-recovery natives Many wattles re-shoot after fire; prune up and remove dead limbs to reduce ember catch points.
- Feature deciduous trees near clearings Place in lawns or gravel courts, not dense bush, and keep trunks clear of shrubs and bark mulch.
Low shrubs & mid-storey 🌿
- Local indigenous shrubs (Grevillea, Correa, etc.) Choose local species recommended for your shire and plant in small, separated clumps.
- Scaevola, Thryptomene, other low mounded shrubs Use as low islands in gravel or lawn, with clear edges and regular removal of dead wood.
- Avoid dense tea-tree and highly resinous shrubs near the house Place high-oil species well away from buildings or replace them with lower-flammability options.
Groundcovers & under-tree planting 🪴
- Low succulents & hardy natives Use carpet-style plants under trees instead of shrubs to separate ground fuel from the canopy.
- Gravel, pavers and compacted paths Non-plant surfaces are among the safest “plants” you can add; use to break up long shrub belts.
- Sparse, managed native grasses If kept, mow and rake before summer and avoid deep, continuous thatch near buildings.