My post relates to real danger, a wolf wrapped in sheep’s clothing. In the recent wildfires in Stourbridge, a man looked into his garden. Embers flew over from a cornfield, landed in his hedge and it burst into fire. He needed, like his neighbours, to get out quick. Easier said than done. The fire burnt out the electricity and the gate for his posh house could not be opened. No car so he had to run for his life. From a hedge! Now, as a gardener, what would you expect me to know about fire. Well, as it is, quite a lot. I watched a massive Victorian conifer go up like a huge fireball. Fire in the garden is not a mere barbecue, it is potential death.

Turps

Most people don’t realise that pine and conifer resin resembles petrol. Indeed, turpentine is made from pine resin. Consequently, any garden with a preponderance of pine trees, or other conifers, is a major fire hazard. Often, conifer hedges can almost surround a house and they just grow, and grow. It is like a circle of petrol around the property. In the past, we could ignore this. Now, as wildfires start in every drought, and these increase each year, we need to get wise.

Fire in the Garden

The odd thing is that the greatest risk is for large houses. They tend to hide behind extensive conifer hedges. Worse, they also have the space for those big fiery pine trees. If they employ a gardening firm then they rarely understand what the garden entails. If the owner does not realise the risk, none of the contractors is going to tell him or her that there is a fire risk. The fire at Stourbridge started due to farming operations nearby. Perhaps we need to assess the fire risk around us because that is where the fire comes from; it blows in uninvited!