Gardeners, too, suffer from seasonal allergies, but they put up with the drippy nose, running eyes and sneezing fits to enjoy the beauty of their gardens. Contrary to what some may think, it’s not the showy flowers in our beds and borders causing our allergy symptoms. Almost all of these plants are insect-pollinated. It’s actually the wind-pollinated plants we often think of as lacking flowers that cause the problems.
The male flowers of Eastern red cedar are loaded with pollen.
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
Pines produce more pollen than you might think.
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
The oaks, pines, junipers, grasses and weeds of the fields cause the most allergy complaints. Unfortunately, the wind-borne pollen these plants create is extremely light and can float on the wind for hundreds of miles. (So eliminating a nearby problem really won’t do much.) But there’s no reason to make a bad situation worse by planting plants that are prone to producing lots of pollen.
Junipers, especially the upright-growing kinds like Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and Western red cedar (Juniperus scopulorum), are heavy pollen producers and should NOT be planted if you’re especially allergic. Likewise, pines produce lots of pollen when they reach flowering age after about 15 years, so they would best be avoided.
Another source of pollen often seen in gardens comes from the fruitless trees offered by nursery professionals. These trees – plants such as ‘Marshall’s Seedless’ green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica ‘Marshall’s Seedless’), fruitless mulberry or seedless cottonwood – are fruitless because they’re male clones. Translation: no fruit, but lots of pollen! So if you’re allergy-prone, planting these species may simply add to the problems you usually have to endure each spring.
And most landscapes rely on oaks, maples and other wind-pollinated trees for large shade producers. Planting these beautiful trees in your garden may add to the pollen load for a time, but honestly, there’s so much pollen from neighborhood trees, that a bit more won’t make much of a difference in this case.
Finally, we can’t forget about turf grasses. These also cause allergy problems. Bermuda grass is probably the worst offender because it continues to bloom throughout the growing season, whereas most other lawn species have a more defined and more concentrated blooming period. If grass allergies are a problem for you, establishing a frequent mowing schedule to keep the flowers cut off will help eliminate the problem in your own lawn.
All of this said, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other great plants in your garden during allergy season! Arborvitaes like ‘Green Giant’ (Thuja ‘Green Giant’), for example, can provide the kind of screening junipers and pines provide without causing significant allergy problems. Broadleaf plants (like hollies) can also be substituted.
Allergy sufferers hang in there, enjoy your gardens – and keep the tissue box handy!
