Happy New Year! I hope you have had a good beginning to 2025, but for those of you in Southern California, I know that the last week has been harrowing. So let’s start there.

First, if you or someone you love has lost their home in the fires in the Los Angeles area, I am so sorry. I have several friends who have lost their homes. More are evacuated and uncertain. The area where I lived in LA was evacuated last night, and we are intimately familiar with the areas where both the Palisades and Eaton fires are burning. So I am feeling all of the feels along with so many of you. I send you my love and support.

For those of us watching in horror from across the country, the first impulse is always: how can we help? Here are links to a few organizations which I know are on the ground helping fire victims — and which are worthy of support:

• World Central Kitchen: providing meals and support both to fire victims and to fire fighters who are working tirelessly to contain these blazes

• California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund: provides funding to other non-profits to carry out short and long-term assistance projects as the disaster recovery begins

• American Red Cross: providing immediate aid including medical care, evacuation assistance, and meals and shelter for evacuees

• Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation: funding for fighting wildfires including equipment, logistical support, meals, and more for firefighters

• Lutheran World Relief: provides both immediate aid and ongoing support

As a gardener, I’ve been struck by the story of the Getty Villa, one of my all-time favorite museums and a place where I have spent A LOT of time over the years. Full disclosure: their gift shop has also been one of my clients in the past. On Thursday the LA Times had an excellent piece about the measures the Getty Villa has taken in the past year in preparation for a wildfire — and most of those measures involved firewise gardening practices. The entire article is fascinating, and a HUGE shoutout to their staff and grounds crew who have been working to keep the museum and its priceless collections safe. We don’t acknowledge the work of grounds crews nearly enough, and in this case they have become firefighters, too. But over the last year they have worked to make sure the grounds of the Getty Villa were as firewise as possible. That included trimming trees, removing brush and scrub, and evaluating their plant choices.

No matter where we live, this winter is a good time for us to do the same. Evaluating our gardens with an eye toward firewise gardening can make a difference. As a Colorado Master Gardener we have had some fascinating continuing education opportunities in the last few years — particularly after the Marshall Fire — where we have discussed the impacts of a changing climate on gardening practices and a redefining of communities at risk. What’s referred to as the Wilderness-Urban Interface or WUI is changing. The more our communities encroach on and mingle with wild spaces, the more we gardeners have to consider our gardens in a fire context.

I am not an expert on this subject area, but I have several great resources to recommend as well as some examples for you, too. I published this video with some thoughts as well as linked resources. I hope you will find it helpful!

If you have any questions or comments, please drop them here! I’m always here as a resource. And I look forward to hearing from you!

Wishing you all the best in the coming year, and I’m thankful you are part of this community!
Cheers!
Angela

Wondering where to find me?
Here’s the breakdown:

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• Blog: monthly updates with links to new content

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