The Fire-Resistant Lawn Alternative That's Great For California Yards

As the climate continues to warm and wildfires get worse year after year, many homeowners are looking for hacks like drought tolerant lawn covers to easily grow in a yard and the best plants to have in a yard in a fire-prone region. In California specifically, wildfires have already burned through over 60,000 acres in 2025. So, it's crucial that homeowners in the area find greenery that has natural resilient properties and could potentially protect their homes from the line of fire if the worst happens. For an easy solution when it comes to lawn covers for California homes, the beach strawberry is a great place to look. 

The trend of having green grass in yards was popularized in America the 1950s and 60s, when the population began growing in the suburbs and homeowners were sold grass seeds and lawn care articles as a way to make their homes look more enticing and beautiful. The problem was that there were a handful of lawn types applied to every corner of the country, regardless of the local climates. Many users are now looking for eco-friendly grass alternatives that are friendly options for their lawns, and in California, that also means finding lawn covers that slow the pace of approaching wildfires, like the beach strawberry. Grass tends to dry out easily, and dry land is a catalyst for wildfires, so having a draught-tolerant plant like the beach strawberry will make a California lawn less flammable. 

So, why is the beach strawberry such a great choice? The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) recommended the plant specifically as a fire-resistant and drought-tolerant lawn alternative, calling out that it was approved by the Los Angeles County fire department for Southern California zones. This approval means that the beach strawberry has qualities that slow encroaching wildfires. The perennial beach strawberry plant tends to grow to between four and eight inches in height, and it can even grow strawberries for an aesthetic pop of color. The low height of the plant's growth means that any wildfire that catches on your lawn would stay low to the ground, making it easier to extinguish. 

The leaves of this plant tend to be bright green and go redder in the fall, as the berries blossom, and the plant spreads at a moderate rate. This plant is perfect for low-moisture and even sandy soil, making it ideal for hot climates like Southern California. The berries themselves are edible, but the harvest will be relatively small, so don't expect to get much sustenance from this. However, it's fun to note that the beach strawberry is one of the plants that was used to cultivate the modern strawberries we buy in grocery stores today. To use this in your own lawn, you can buy seeds and starters like the ones available from One Green World, which are sold in starter pots for $8.95 each.