FIRE-PIT PLANTINGS

Photo: Green Meadows Landscape Contractors, Oakland, NJ

by C.L. Fornari

“Our clients need to know that the fire pit itself is just the beginning.”

Wooly Thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginous)

Photo: “Form in bloom”. Ghislain118(AD). CC BY-SA 3.0

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.

• 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 without blocking the breezes. This plant has the added advantages of golden fall colored foliage and seeds for the birds.

• Other shrubs for fragrance in the area: Azalea ‘Lemon Drop,’ mock orange, Boomerang or Lilac, and ‘Korean Spice’ Viburnum.

Mock-Orange. “Flowers”

Frederick BISSON. CC BY 4.0

• Lavender is an attractive and fragrant plant for near the fire pit in full sun. In part-shade, grow Actaea ‘Brunette’ (aka Cimicifuga or bugbane) in the area. It is an upright plant with dark foliage and highly fragrant, pinkish-white flowers in late summer and fall.

• Annuals for fragrance include alyssum, purple petunias, and most Nicotiana (flowering tobacco), Heliotrope, and scented geraniums (Pelargoniums).

“Nicotiana alata”.

Carl Lewis. CC BY 2.0

• For scented smoke in wood-burning pits, grow sage (Salvia officinalis) or similar aromatic herbs. Sprigs of these herbs can be tossed onto coals as they die down.

• Lemon Verbena is an annual herb that can be planted in containers or in the ground. Sprigs can be picked and enjoyed for aromatherapy, or used as garnishes for tea or cocktails.

• Use a cover on top of the fire pit to protect the bowl from rainfall and to create a table when a fire isn’t burning. There will be evenings when a fire isn’t desirable, but people will enjoy gathering around the circle even without flames. A cover also provides table space for food and drinks at any time of day.

• Create privacy for these areas with mixed shrub borders. Plants with white flowers or variegated foliage are especially nice to include because white is more visible as the sun goes down.

• Finally, avoid placing ornamental grasses near a firepit that will be used in the late fall or winter, as the dried blades might be easily ignited by sparks.

C.L. Fornari is a garden writer, speaker and podcaster. She runs a consultation service for Hyannis Country Garden, an IGC on Cape Cod, and can be found online at www.GardenLady.com

“Weston’s Lemon Drop Azalea flowers”

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)