Controlling Allergies While Gardening

For the allergy sufferer, the anticipation of a garden in bloom isn't always what it should be. Instead of looking forward to blossoming beauty and splendid colors, those with allergic rhinitis anticipate the pollens and accompanying sinus troubles.

Allergy sufferers can be affected by flowers such as milkweed.

Milkweed is a beautiful flower, but it can be
enemy No. 1 for some allergy sufferers.

People with insect sting allergies are nervous about encountering flying enemies. In this section, we will help you avoid both of these hazards, and get back to cultivating a beautiful garden. Let's get started with some general advice.

Before venturing outside to plant herbs, mow the lawn, or trim the hedges, check the local pollen forecast or check out www.pollen.com. Too high? Save gardening for another day and save yourself from suffering. If pollen counts are tolerable, venture forth, but not before dressing up like a gardener bent on defying all allergens. Wear a dust mask, gardening gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, and sunglasses or goggles, and cover that pollen-collecting hairdo with a scarf or hat.

Pollen and Allergies
Pollen spores are the male tree's reproductive cells. The male trees release pollen into the wind, where, hopefully, the spores will find the female tree of their dreams. When pollen comes her way, the female tree sweeps the spores from the air in a whirlwind of electrical attraction. (Pollen has a negative charge while the female's reproductive organ, the stigma, has a positive charge.) Some trees, however, are self-pollinators. Once the pollen adheres to the stigma's sticky surface, its potential to cause you problems is finished.

When pruning, planting, or just puttering around, consider the following:
  • If a flower's good enough for a bee, it's usually good enough for an allergy sufferer. Colorful flowers produce heavy pollen that is transported via bees, not the breeze. If you have a bee allergy, however, avoid colorful flowers.
  • Insects love flowers just as much as humans do. Be careful where you stick your hands and whose territory you encroach upon. People suffering from serious insect sting allergies should take special precautions while gardening outside or even in a greenhouse.
  • Mulches are ground coverings, some of the more popular being bark, gravel, brick, straw, and rocks. Although mulches keep weeds at bay, help good insects thrive, and keep the soil cool, they also make a happy home for mold spores.
  • Keep grass cut regularly so it cannot go to seed (that is the pollen). Pick up fallen leaves, as they are a source of molds.
  • Unleash your creativity by designing an allergen-reduced garden. Make a rock garden or Japanese garden using rocks and pebbles, sand, water, and a few touches of green.

    Gardening Options
    With Fewer Allergens
    The following trees, grasses, and flowers/shrubs have been found to be less allergenic:

    Trees:     Apple, Cherry, Chinese Fan Palm, Crab Apple, Dogwood, Fan Palm, Fir, Hawthorn, Hope Chestnut, Magnolia, Peach, Pear, Pine, Plum, and Tulip

    Grasses: Perennial rye, St. Augustine, tall fescue (All must be well-mowed to prevent flowering.)

    Flowers, Shrubs, and Ground Covers: Azalea, Begonia, Bougainvillea, Boxwood, Cacti, Clematis, Columbine, Coneflower, Crocus, Dahlia, Daisy, Dianthus, Dichondra, Dusty Miller, Gladiola, Hibiscus, Holly, Hosta, Hyacinth, Impatiens, Iris, Irish Moss, Larkspur, Lavender, Lily, Marigold, Narcissus, Oleander, Orchid, Pansy, Peonies, Periwinkle, Petunia, Phlox, Poppies, Ranunculus, Red-apple Iceland, Redbud, Rubber Tree, Salvia, Snapdragons, Sunflower, Thrift, Tingle, Tulip, Verbena, Viburnum, Vinca, Violet, Wild Strawberry, Yucca, and Zinnia.

Although these are good tips to follow, they won't keep your yard pollen free. That's because pollen can travel in the air for up to 500 miles. You can keep certain shrubs pruned or cut down trees in your own yard, but pollen can float in from plants and trees in your neighbor's yard and even from the next town or the next state.

Pest-free and Pesticide-free Gardening

Pesky weeds and insects plague gardens. Many gardeners respond with chemical warfare, squirting every plant, flower, and exposed insect with toxic chemicals. While shooting away, little regard is given to the fact that these chemicals (and their residues) can easily travel indoors via shoes, pets, and children. If you have wasp allergies, chemical pesticides can save your life. Otherwise, if you need to fight with nature, fight fairly by using the following natural pest controllers:

For Garden Pests
  • Fight the good fight by employing friendly predators such as ladybugs, praying mantids, and aphid lions. Most of these critters can be purchased at garden stores.
  • Mix strong-smelling herbs, such as basil, garlic, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and sage, in between vegetables and fruits.
For wild weeds
  • Remove weeds the old-fashioned way: uproot 'em. Hire help if necessary. (Older children looking for spending money will dig for you. Be sure to provide them with gloves.)
  • Squirt away those sidewalk weeds with a mixture of 1 cup salt, 1 teaspoon dish detergent, and 1 gallon vinegar.
Insects are another aspect of gardening that can affect an allergy sufferer. Keep reading to find out how to identify these stubborn stingers.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.