Plants near Fire Pits
What plants can grow near fire pits?
When landscaping around a fire pit and choosing plants to place around it, you need to consider how far from the fire to plant them, what planters to use and, obviously, what types of plants will tolerate the conditions near a fire pit.
What to look at? You certainly don’t want to surround your fire pit with plants or materials which could set easily on fire or could get damaged from high temperatures, changing temperatures or dry conditions. Especially in the dry seasons, you need to pay attention to any dry organic materials around your fire pit, e.g. dry grass or fallen leaves, as they can be a serious fire hazard.
What can you plant next to a fire pit?
The key question here is: what plants can grow near fire pits? The answer is: generally speaking, plants which can be placed near fire pits cope well with extremely high temperatures, are able to store water well and cope well with dry conditions.
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Best types of plants to grow near a fire pit
Here is a list of plants which will cope well with the conditions near a fire pit:
- Lavender
Lavender is one of the best plants to grow near fire pits. It can handle high temperatures, dry conditions and won’t catch fire easily. - Agave
Agave a desert, which copes well with extreme heat. However, it has sharp spikes, so be careful positioning it in places where you or your family could get hurt by the spikes. - Aeonium
It stores water well and can grow in dry conditions. - Yukka
This plant is very difficult to burn and the leaves cope well with high temperatures, which makes it an ideal plant for a fire pit area. - Sage
The sage plant is fire-resistant and can grow in hot, dry places. - Ice plant
It’s a great plant for fire-prone areas, as it stores a lot of water and doesn’t catch fire easily.
How close can plants be to a fire pit?
Any plants which you want to grow near a fire pit need to be at least 3 – 4 feet away from the fire. Within such distance any plant would have to cope with extreme heat, but also you need clear space to walk around safely.
For safety reasons, remember to keep clear walkways between the plants growing near your fire pit. You don’t want anyone to trip over a plant and fall into the hot fire pit.
And finally, no matter what plants are growing near your fire pit, remember to remove any dying or dried-up plants that could catch fire easily
Trees near a fire pit
The most important safety concern related to trees growing near a fire pit is that they can never grow above the fire. High temperatures or sparks flying high up into the air can set the leaves or needles on fire very easily.
How far from a tree should a fire pit be?
The minimum distance between a fire pit and the nearest tree branches should be at least 10 feet. No tree branches can ever overhang beyond this circle. However, you may need more space if you burn fires when it’s windy, when the leaves on the tree are dry or in a dry season when the fire risk is higher. Also, check if there are any local regulations specifying how far from trees or forests it is allowed to burn fires.
If branches of the trees growing near a fire pit keep growing and begin to overhang the fire pit area, you may have to trim the branches or consider moving the fire pit elsewhere.
Choosing planters to place around a fire pit
Planters are a great option to keep plants in your fire pit area, especially if you want to have the flexibility of rearranging the space. Having such flexibility can be very useful when you want to move the plants away for the time when the fire is on and move them back afterwards. In any case, remember not to use plastic planters near a fire pit or planters made from other materials which could melt or catch fire easily when exposed to high temperatures or if sparks jumping out of the fire fall on them.
Natural Concrete Elegant Planter
Tall Metallic Planter Box
How to protect grass near a fire pit?
We have a separate article about protecting grass under a fire pit here:
Now, let’s look at other practical uses of plants growing near fire pits. For instance, they can be a great aid in repelling unwanted insects.
What plants can help keep bugs away from a fire pit?
Some of the most popular plants which can help you to deter unwanted bugs from your fire pit are:
- Marigolds – they help to keep mosquitoes away from your fire pit
- Lavender – also a good mosquito repellent
- Mint – helps you keep spiders, mosquitoes and ants away
- Chrysanthemums – good for keeping away ticks, ants and spiders
We’ve explained what vegetation will survive near a fire pit, but are there any plants that you should never keep in this area of your backyard?
What plants not to grow around a fire pit?
You don’t want to grow near a fire pit any fire-hazardous plants. Some common types of fire-hazardous plants include juniper, thuja, ferns, grasses, bamboo, any bushes with lots of deadwood and other plants with a lot of dry matter.
Final note
When choosing plants for your backyard fire pit area, look at the types which are heat and drought resistant as well as a safe distance between the plants and the fire.
What are your favorite plants to grow next to a fire pit and why? Share in the comments!
