Doctor's Home "Saved by Succulents" During Wildfire
4,329 views · Published 14 December 2017 · 4:57 · Indexed 26 September 2026
Channel: Debra Lee Baldwin · 2017 · Film & Animation
On San Diego's CBS News, homeowner Dr. Camille Newton and succulent book author Debra Lee Baldwin explain how a landscape of primarily succulents served as a wildfire barrier during the 2017 Lilac Fire, thereby "saving" Dr. Newton's home from burning. Disclaimer: Growing succulents does NOT guarantee a house won’t burn during a wildfire. These plants that store water in their leaves and are slow to catch fire serve as one more protective measure. Succulents really do have to surround a house, as you can see in my "Succulents as Firebreak" video filmed a few days after the wildfire at Dr. Newton's home. Sadly, homeowners have told me they had a lot of succulents and their homes burned anyway. -- DLB LEARN MORE: My site's FIREWISE SUCCULENTS page (https://debraleebaldwin.com/top-five-firewise-succulents/) has been excerpted and used by fire protection agencies as far away as South Africa and Australia. Also: https://debraleebaldwin.com/firewise-landscaping-with-succulents/ https://debraleebaldwin.com/succulent-landscape/fire-succulents-and-south-africa/ RELATED VIDEOS: -- Succulents as Firebreak (4:32) https://youtu.be/JrP2h2li8ps In a video filmed five days after Camille Newton's garden "saved" her house from wildfire, you'll see how the fire impacted neighboring homes as well. Whether or not you live in a fire-prone region, you'll marvel at the extensive succulent garden Dr. Newton created entirely from cuttings, and find her narrative of the Lilac Fire both remarkable and harrowing. -- Do Succulents Burn? (5:53) https://youtu.be/spIfnuSS1Lw See what common succulents look like after exposure to flames for 5 to 12 minutes. Unlike the oak and green bamboo used for comparison, which burned immediately, the succulents merely cooked and charred. BOOKS BY DEBRA LEE BALDWIN — Designing with Succulents (mainly about in-ground gardening), https://amzn.to/2M7bBig — Succulents Simplified (good overview for beginners), https://amzn.to/2Ewil2I — Succulent Container Gardens, https://amzn.to/2VZvGeE CONNECT WITH DEBRA --Facebook: @DebraLeeBaldwinOfficial --Instagram: @debralbaldwin --Website: https://debraleebaldwin.com --Newsletter: Subscribe at https://debraleebaldwin.com --YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=DebraLeeBaldwin ABOUT DEBRA Award-winning garden photojournalist and bestselling author Debra Lee Baldwin shares know-how about “plants that drink responsibly” in print, photos, videos and her “Celebrating the Joy of Succulents” newsletter. Debra is based in Southern California, home to more succulent specialty nurseries and growers than anywhere else in the world.
