Tips for allergy sufferers who work in the garden

Gardening is one of the most favorite activities. But for many Americans who suffer from hay fever and seasonal allergies, such a craze entails symptoms such as runny nose, itching and eye irritation.

The concentration of allergens such as pollen and mold increases during the warmer months, but experts believe that they should not prevent you from enjoying gardening.

By knowing which plant can cause allergies, and by planning to work in the garden, you can avoid the symptoms caused by seasonal allergies.

To help you cope with allergies, we offer the following tips.

1. A petunia pot will not cause allergies, but too many identical plants can create problems. Shrub Dicenterra or wisteria near the bedroom of your window is a bad idea. When opening the window be prepared for contact with pollen.
2. Sunflowers, daisies and chrysanthemums have their drawbacks, they belong to ambrosia. If you like sunflowers, choose only hypoallergenic seeds, their flowers do not emit pollen. And chrysanthemums and daisies should be reduced to a minimum.
3. Goldenrod creates a beautiful yellow color in the garden, but causes allergies. To create the same color, plant the snapdragon and zinnia.
4. Buy flowers on the way home, most of them do not have pollen. But the flowers from your garden should remain outside.
5. Medicinal plants can cause an allergic reaction. Chamomile, both flowers and leaves, can create problems. The amaranth has many flowers, but belongs to the tumbleweed family and produces a lot of pollen. If you make amaranth powder, it can cause an allergic reaction.
6. Many flowering shrubs and trees do not emit much pollen, and therefore do not create many problems. Just do not plant them under the windows of the bedroom.
7. Window mosquito nets will not protect against pollen, its particles are too small compared to the mesh openings. You may need to remove the problematic plant.
8. Yew is an evergreen popular plant. It is often used in chemotherapy. If the yew grows near the windows, it is better to remove it.
9. Evergreen turquoise shrub belongs to the family of olives and produces pollen. If this plant grows not far from your home, get ready for an allergy attack.
10. Japanese boxwood produces a lot of pollen, it needs to be cut frequently.
11. Euonymus dark purple is one of the most beautiful plants of autumn. But be careful, it belongs to the tumbleweed family and produces a lot of pollen.
12. Remove dried trees and shrubs, so you protect yourself from insect parasites that cause allergies and mold.
13. Plants, peculiar to your region, adapt well, they do not require care. But if such a plant is grown from a cutting, it is masculine and produces pollen. If the plant has grown from seed, the odds are 50/50.
14. A healthy female plant attracts songbirds and even hummingbirds. Choose plants that give fruit.
15. Some tree pollens, such as olives and ash, are more likely to cause allergies. Very little pollen from these trees is enough to cause a reaction. Such plants should not be planted in your garden.
16. Birch, alder and oak are plants of both female and male sex. They produce large amounts of pollen in the spring.
17. Under stress, the tree produces more pollen than usual. In places with a large population and pollution, many trees are pollinated more than once a year.
18. Dense, green lawn well captures pollen. It sticks to the grass and is washed off by the rain.
19. Bermuda grass produces very allergenic pollen. If the plant is under stress, it releases more pollen. Good fertilizer and watering will help control pollination.
20. Bison grass produces a little bit of pollen, and female plants do not release it at all.
21. Dandelions are pollinated by insects, so they do not create any special problems. But if your yard is completely overgrown with dandelions and other plants, you will have something to poke.

It may be hard to believe, but most garden plants do not cause a reaction. This is because the flowers emit quite a bit of pollen. If the plant shows a reaction, then the reason is the strong smell of the plant, not pollen. In such people, as a rule, allergic rhinitis, and not an allergy.

The reaction is caused by a green bloom, which you can see on the machine, it is emitted by masculine plants. In urban parks have not planted such plants for a long time, and all because they pollute the landscape. If you want to avoid pollen, plant the feminine plants.

A tree that does not produce fruits and seeds is obviously masculine, it usually emits pollen. If you see such a description of a tree in a store, do not buy it.

Author of the book Allergy Plants, Mary Jelks, claims that many people believe that plants with large, sharp-smelling flowers, such as lilies, dahlias and roses, are the main causes of allergy, but in fact the opposite is true. Plants with small, inconspicuous flowers are able to emit a large amount of pollen that spreads in the wind and causes allergies.

If there are plants in your garden with beautiful flowers, they attract butterflies and do not emit pollen because they are pollinated by insects.

Other plants that do not cause allergies include crocuses, daffodils, snapdragons, hyacinths, pansies, tulips, hydrangea, daisies, and sunflowers.

In some people, the symptoms can cause a strong smell of flowers, but this reaction is not allergic to pollen, it is caused by oils that contain fragrance.

Another mistake in gardening is planting too many identical plants, monocultural gardening. If you grow a plant like a pear, it may not cause problems, but a number of pears can potentially cause allergies.

The best option is to have a diverse landscape, different types of plants, trees, flowers and shrubs. Monocultural gardening also attracts one type of parasite. A healthy garden, where everything is well maintained, organized and there are no heaps of scrap, can reduce the amount of pollen in the air.

Choose plants carefully

Experts advise choosing plants that are specific to your region. They are not whimsical to care, because they are adapted to the climate and do not require abundant watering, fertilizer or the use of pesticides. This factor is very important because in a state of stress, for example, with insufficient watering, the plant produces more pollen as a means of self-preservation.

Planting aboriginal plants has other advantages. Some of them produce fruits that are food for birds. By planting such plants, you can even more decorate your garden without experiencing allergy symptoms. By attracting more butterflies, insects and birds, you provide less air pollination, and this is an important factor in growing a garden that does not cause allergies.

When it comes to allergens, the grass variety on your lawn also plays an important role. Lawns that need to be cut frequently increase the amount of pollen and mildew spores.

Some herbs do not produce as much pollen as traditional Bermuda grass. Experts also advise not to mow lawns too short, as this can cause stress for the plant, and it will begin to release more pollen.

Lawns are sometimes not fairly considered the causes of allergies. But a good, thick lawn is the best pollen trapping device. When the pollen settles on a car or sidewalk, it again enters the air when the next wind blows, but when it settles on a thick lawn, it is washed off during the rain or watering in the root system.

Experts warn that seasonal allergies can lead to other medical problems, such as asthma, so it does not need to be neglected.

To reduce contact with potentially dangerous pollen and mold, experts give these tips:

• Use an antihistamine or nasal spray before gardening, and not after symptoms begin to appear.
• Ask someone to mow the lawn if you have this procedure causing allergies, or wear a mask when mowing the lawn to reduce the amount of inhaled pollen.
• Maintain health and drink plenty of fluids so that the immune and respiratory systems are in good condition and can fight allergens.
• Spend time outside when the pollen content in the air is not high. During the spring flowering period, the highest amount of tree pollen is early in the morning. Grass and shrubs secrete the highest amount of pollen at noon during the summer months.
• Horticulture on days when the amount of pollen is low, or in cold, overcast and windless weather.
• Planted plants that emit a large amount of pollen away from the entrance to the house and windows.
• To reduce contact with pollen, wear gloves, goggles and a respiratory mask. Also during work do not touch your face and eyes.
• After working in the garden, wash your clothes and take a shower to wash away the pollen and dust that could settle.
• Keep the animal away from plants that produce a lot of pollen. Pollen can settle on wool and the animal will bring it to the house.