If you dream of the perfect garden but dread the pollen, a few simple tricks can help control your allergies while you're creating that inviting landscape.
Choose the Right Plants
Go for plants with bright, fragrant flowers. In general, flowering plants are pollinated by insects, not the wind. Their pollen is usually too big to get in the air and cause allergy symptoms.
Choose native plants. They're easier to grow, because they're already adapted to the climate. Non-native plants are more likely to struggle, and stressed plants tend to release more pollen.
Ask for female trees. It might sound strange, but most pollen comes from male trees. You might see them advertised as "seedless" or "fruitless." To breathe easier, plant a female tree that won't release pollen.
Remove high-pollen plants and trees from your yard. At the very least, keep them far away from windows and doors, so their pollen doesn't get inside. Bear in mind, this won't protect you from pollen from your neighbors' trees.
Looking for specifics about what to plant? Good choices include:
- Flowering plants like begonias, crocuses, daffodils, daisies, geraniums, hostas, impatiens, irises, lilies, pansies, periwinkles, petunias, phlox, salvia, snapdragons, sunflowers, and tulips
- Grasses like St. Augustine
- Shrubs like azalea, boxwood, hibiscus, and hydrangea
- Trees like apple, cherry, dogwood, magnolia, plum, and red maple
Bad choices, which are likely to cause allergy symptoms, include:
- Trees like male varieties of ash, beech, cedar, cottonwood, maple, oak, olive, walnut, and willow
- Shrubs like cypress and juniper
- Grasses like Bermuda, Johnson, rye, Kentucky bluegrass, and Timothy
Be Prepared for Gardening
Use allergy medicine. Start taking it about a week before your allergy season starts.
Garden when pollen counts are low. Usually, late in the evening is best. Pollen counts are higher in the morning and middle of the day.
Check the forecast. Pollen counts are lower on cool, cloudy, or damp days. They're higher on dry, windy days.
Wear the right clothing. Choose long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect your skin from allergens. Wear gloves and sunglasses or goggles. Consider a dust mask.
Don't touch your face and eyes while working outdoors.
Don't mow the lawn yourself. It kicks pollen into the air -- and not just from grass. Ask a family member to handle the lawn care, or hire someone to do it.
