After the firestorm

**"* L* B* <S*@cox.net>**

Re my recent posting about my experiences during the San Diego firestorms,
Betty Mackey had the following questions (shown in italics). My responses
follow. -- Debra Lee Baldwin

Now that you have been home for a few days, is ash still falling? 

This morning the air is hazy and there's a dirty-fireplace smell outside.
There is a wildfire still burning to the northeast of us, but it's mostly
contained. I've learned to respect, and notice, wind as a result of this
experience. As a photographer I'm a slave to light, but wind in the past was
simply an invisible inconvenience. The direction and velocity of wind not
only spreads fire, it also determines whether particulate matter flows or
settles. We may have a smoky morning followed by a blue-sky afternoon, like
yesterday. People on the coast may have worse air quality and more falling
ash than we do. Smoke may linger in valleys, or get blown towards Los
Angeles or Mexico.

Is the garden cleaned up? 

Anything made by nature showed almost no impact from the fires, other than
being more dusty than normal. Anything manmade was filthy -- from outdoor
furniture to hardscape -- and had to be cleaned. I also hosed the centers of
rosette-shaped plants, such as aeoniums, agaves and aloes, because dust and
soot that settles in them traps moisture at the plant's core, inviting rot
and insects.

Is it a challenge to get back to gardening, or is it more of an inspiration
to tell people how to create less fire prone landscapes?

In a situation like this, you get your own home and life back in order, then
become aware of how others are suffering, and need help. For example, when I
found out, yesterday, that the Rancho Bernardo Relief Center is asking for
shovels, rakes, buckets and brooms, I hunted through the garden shed and
basement, and found extras of all those items, which I hadn't thought to
donate, but will do so today -- along with paper towels and other clean-up
items.

            I'm also discovering, from the phone calls and emails I've
received, that interest in my specialty -- garden design with succulents --
has shifted. Previously, people wanted to know about using succulents to
create drought-tolerant gardens. Now, they want to know how to use them in
firewise landscaping. No plants are so fire-retardant as succulents, which
by definition store water in fleshy leaves and stems. Over the past few
days, I've seen first-hand how agaves, aloes, aeoniums and more were
unscathed after a wildfire came through an area, in contrast to shrubs
nearby, which were blackened and leafless. I've also seen -- and this is
very exciting -- how succulents make an effective firebreak, actually
stopping wildfire in its tracks. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Debra Lee Baldwin
Garden Photojournalist
Author, Designing with Succulents
            (Timber Press, 2007)
www.debraleebaldwin.com <http://www.debraleebaldwin.com/> 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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