Photo: Green Meadows Landscape Contractors, Oakland, NJ
FIRE-PIT PLANTINGS
by C.L. Fornari
“Our clients need to know that the fire pit itself is just the beginning.”
About twenty years ago I started noticing a trend among my landscape consultation clients. Those who were 55 years old or younger all wanted firepits, and those older than 55 wanted a fire pit because their kids wanted them to have a fire pit. It is my theory that this was a response to the digital age. In a time when we started using smart phones, carrying the world around in our pockets and being constantly in touch, people were compelled to gather around the camp fire, face to face with their clan. This trend has not only opened up opportunities for those who build such structures, but for all in horticulture. Our clients need to know that the fire pit itself is just the beginning. Once the hardscape is in place, it’s time to consider how plants can enhance these areas. Selected plantings provide the privacy, fragrance, and flowers that enrich the experience of gathering around the fire. Here are some suggestions for landscapers and garden centers to suggest to their clients and customers. •
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Wooly Thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginous) Photo: “Form in bloom”. Ghislain118(AD). CC BY-SA 3.0
Plant the floor of the fire pit area with thyme so its herbal fragrance is released when people gather. Varieties that are the lowest growing include wooly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginous) Doretta Klaber thyme, (Thymus praecox ‘Doretta Klaber’) and white thyme (Thymus praecox ‘Albiflorus’) All of these varieties will tolerate light foot traffic, but you’ll give them the best chance of survival and spreading if you plant them up against the pit and to the sides and rear of chairs. Ring your fire pit area with low-growing fragrance. Commonly called summersweet because of the fragrance in July and August, hummingbird clethera (Clethera alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’ Zones 3-9) can sweetly define the perimeter of a garden Spring/Summer 2021
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