Reviews

Below are a selection of reviews of the book.

“There’s a lot of dubious information out there about supposedly “low flammability” plants. At last there’s a definitive book.

Corbett’s book, Safer Gardens: Plant Flammability and Planning For Fire, is deeply impressive for its meticulous research and level of detail, particularly as Corbett says it is “citizen science”... At its core is the Plant Flammability Table, covering more than 500 plants, which links to further information about individual species, divided by plant type, to give a fuller picture. A section of the book examines all the things you can do to make your garden more fire-safe, taking into account layout, plant spacing, heat-shields, fencing and structures. There’s fascinating information about deciduous trees and mulches, and reports of how certain plants played a protective role in fires. There’s an excellent glossary, a bibliography that runs into the hundreds, and a list of useful resources...

“A well maintained, well loved garden can slow a fire,” Corbett says. “And it may mean hard-pressed fire fighters can save the home when others are not defendable.”

- Review by Helen Young, ‘The Weekend Australian Magazine’, October 8, 2021
Read the full review here.

“As anyone who has sought advice on how to make a garden less combustible will tell you, conflicting advice abounds. The subject of flammability has become a minefield of differing opinions. Winter is a key time for planting trees and shrubs but working out what you are going to plant can be tricky if you want to reduce fire risk.

A new book aims to make the process easier. Safer Gardens: Plant Flammability & Planning for Fire presents some of the most reputable – but often contradictory – information on flammability of particular plants and details how it was determined. The idea is that by giving readers enough of the context, they can draw their own conclusions.”

- Review by Megan Backhouse, ‘Sydney Morning Herald’, June 9, 2021.
Read the full review on the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ here. It has also been syndicated on ‘The Brisbane Times’, ‘WA Today’ and ‘The Age’.

“This phenomenal text is a massive compilation of scientific research from around the world, covering more than 500 plants, detailing their flammability, as well as other useful information, such as invasiveness and specific plant needs... With more than 400 pages of invaluable information packed between the covers, it’s most impressive how accessible it all is.”

- Review by Angelo Eliades, ‘Deep Green Permaculture’. ★★★★★
Read the full review here.

“For those of you who may have been affected by bush fires or even live in an area where it’s a possibility, you should read this book. It is excellent and easy to follow. The author, Lesley Corbett says the intention of the book is to provide an overview of fact-based information about plant flammability and related matters. She has brought together scientific research and data from experts in the field to help us make wise and informed decisions about how to garden more safely in fire prone areas… The book includes an excellent Plant Flammability table with a key. I can see that Lesley has put such a lot of work into this book and I think all landscape designers should include a copy as a reference. Having said that it’s a good read for everyone as our climate warms and bushfires are more frequent and more destructive.”

- ‘Hort Journal Australia’, 2021
Read the full review here.