By Barbara Arnold

Gardening is a wonderful activity for all ages. The innumerable benefits include physical activity, fresh air, quality family time, home grown fruits and vegetables, and a higher property value, just to name a few. But what if you are a gardener who suffers from seasonal allergies? Large amounts of pollen are found in the air in the spring (blooming trees) and in the fall (ragweed and grass bloom) but pollen is also present during the rest of the summer when everything else is blooming. Pollen is a small particle that can be affected by weather conditions. For example, on warm and sunny, dry and windy days, the pollen count will be high because it stays floating in the air, while rainy days tend to wash the pollen out of the air.

By taking a few preventive steps, an allergy-tormented plant-lover can get back in the garden. An easy rule of thumb, though this doesn’t always apply, is to shy away from plants that are pollinated by the wind, which includes many trees, shrubs, and grasses. The wind blows and carries pollen away from these plants in such a way that you can almost see the pollen floating around the plant; however, an allergy sufferer doesn’t need to see the pollen to know it’s there. Pollen-free hybrids are noted as such on plant tags and these should be used whenever possible. Tubular flowering plants like morning glories and flowering tobacco tend to keep their pollen inside the flower. Another tip is to prune or sheer landscape shrubs that are grown as foundation plantings, such as taxus or junipers, to lessen the possible allergens. This is accomplished by removing some of the flowering wood.

The following are great plants to use if seasonal allergies are a problem. Each plant either has a low pollen count or is not wind pollinated.

Trees: Apple, crabapple, Red Maple Autumn Glory or Red Sunset, persimmon, Silverbell Tree, larch, hemlock and dogwood

Shrubs: Hibiscus, clematis, vibernum (stay away from double file), hydrangea, serviceberry, pearlbush, Beauty Bush, mock orange, ninebark, weigela, floribunda rose

Perennials: Iris, daisy, hosta, columbine, lily, hollyhock, thrift, bamboo, brunnera, foxglove, perennial geranium, daylily, heuchera, Evening Primrose, peony, Beard’s Tongue, veronica, viola and periwinkle vine

Annuals: Begonias, snapdragons, geraniums, petunias, impatiens, dahlias, tulips, hyacinths, zinnias, daffodils, sunflowers, morning glories, swiss chard, ornamental peppers, coleus and four o’clocks

It is also a good idea to avoid dioecious plant species, or plants that require both individual male and female plants to fruit, making it necessary for the male to produce more pollen to travel through the air to reach the female plant. Only male plants make pollen and by choosing plants that don’t require both male and female plants to reproduce, you can avoid excessive pollen production. To distinguish between the sexes it helps to note that male plants are often sold as seedless or fruitless, as only the female can produce fruit. The only real problem with using just the fruit-bearing female plant is the mess they leave behind, as with the smelly fruit of ginkgos. Sometimes the fruit is desired, as with hollies. Because they are dioecious, a male needs to be present to produce the fruit; the good news is that you need only one male to supply enough pollen for seven females and this ratio is common among dioecious plants.

Consider some other defensive moves. Don’t plant allergy-inducing plants near the house, under windows, or along the path you normally take to the house. If you have a favorite plant that you know is a problem for you, plant it at the far end of the garden where you can still see it from the safety of a closed window. Walk in the rain, stay inside during windy days and watch pollen counts. Also, keep in mind that there are plenty of other allergens besides pollen, such as bees, mold, and skin irritants, creating a completely different way to think about plants in the garden, but this is a topic for another day.

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