Enjoy Allergy-Free Gardening

Gardening is one of life's simple pleasures. But for the 35 million Americans who suffer from hay fever or seasonal allergies, having a green thumb means suffering from symptoms like a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes.

Allergens, such as pollen and molds, peak in the warm weather months, but experts say allergies shouldn't keep you away from the pleasures of allergy-free gardening. Knowing what type of plants and trees are most likely to trigger allergies and planning gardening time strategically can help reduce sneezing and wheezing caused by seasonal allergies.

Mary Jelks, MD, author of Allergy Plants, says many people mistakenly think that plants with big, showy blossoms, like lilies, dahlias, and roses, are allergy triggers, but actually the opposite is true. Plants with small, insignificant flowers are most likely to produce large amounts of pollen that are released into the wind and can cause an allergic reaction.

"If you have plants that have pretty flowers, they attract butterflies and aren't as apt to create pollen because they are pollinated by insects," Jelks tells WebMD.

Other plants that produce flowers for allergy-free gardening include crocus, narcissus, snapdragon, daffodil, hyacinth, pansy, tulip, hydrangea, daisy, and sunflower.

Jelks says some people may be irritated by flowers that release a strong scent, but that type of reaction is not related to pollen or seasonal allergies and is caused by a reaction to the oils the blossom contains.

Horticulturist Tom Ogren, MS, author of Allergy-free Gardening, says another common gardening mistake is planting too much of one thing, known as monoculture gardening. If you have a tree, such as a flowering pear, a few might not be enough to cause a problem, but planting a whole row of them or using them over and over throughout a landscape accents their allergy-causing potential.

"It's better to have a diverse landscape, with many different kinds of plant materials, many different kinds of trees, flowers, and shrubs and ground cover," Ogren tells WebMD.

Ogren says monoculture gardening also makes your whole yard more attractive to the one pest that is attracted by that plant. Once that pest or insect starts to thrive, they will begin to secrete honeydew, and mold spores will grow and stick to it, creating another allergy trigger.

"Having a healthy garden, where things are well taken care of, well adapted, and not all buggy cuts way down on the mold count," says Ogren.

Choose Your Plants Carefully

Both Jelks and Ogren advocate using plants that are native to your region for allergy-free gardening. They are easier to grow because they're already adapted to the climate and do not require extensive watering, fertilizer, or pesticides.

Ogren says that's important for reducing pollen because when a plant faces stress, such as adverse conditions or a lack of water, its natural reaction is to produce more pollen as a means of self-preservation.