You’ve banished gardening from your life, uprooted your plants and spend your Spring hiding indoors. Little do you know, there are hundreds of low-allergy options for your garden. What’s more, many of these are far more beautiful than their pollen-pouring counterparts, because they have to stand out in order to attract bees and other pollinating insects. Here is Allergic Living‘s list of potentials for your low-allergy garden:
Flowering Plants
- Lathyrus odoratus β Sweet pea
- Catharanthus roseus β Periwinkle
- Digitalis β Foxglove
- Impatiens β Impatiens
- Myosotis β Forget-me-nots
- Nierembergia β Cup flower
- Petunia β Petunia
- Viola β Johnny jump up, pansy, violet
- Brodiaea β Elephantβs ears
- Crocus β Spring-flowering crocus
- Cyclamen β Cyclamen
- Galanthus β Snowdrops
- Gladiolus β Gladiolus
- Hyacinth β Hyacinth (numerous varieties)
- Gentiana β Gentian
- Geranium β True geranium, cranesbill
- Hemerocallis β Day lily
- Peony β Peony
- Polemonium β Jacobβs ladder
- Rhododendron β Azalea, rhododendron
- Fuchsia β Fuchsia
- Dianthus β Carnation, pinks
- Papaver β Poppy
- Begonia β Fibrous or tuberous begonia
- Rosa β Rose (avoid high-scent varieties)
- Phlox β Phlox
- Iris – Iris
- Erythrocoma triflora – Prairie smoke
- Kniphofia – Red Hot Poker
- Clematis – Clematis
- Tulipa gesneriana – Tulip (bulbs may irritate sensitive skin)
- Penstemon – Beardtongue
- Antirrhinum – Snapdragon
- Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly weed
- Hibiscus – hibiscus
- Narcissus – Daffodil
- Bulbine frutescens – bulbine
Shrubs/Bushes/Herbs
- Coleus blumei β Coleus
- Hosta β Hosta, plantain lily
- Physalis β Chinese lantern
- Sempervivum β Hens and chicks
- Hydrangea grandiflora β Big leaf hydrangea
- Viburnum – Viburnum shrubs, highbush cranberry, nannyberry
- Heuchera – Coral bells (many varieties)
- Teucrium crispum – Wood sage
- Physocarpus opulifolius – Dart’s gold, ninebark
- Bergenia – Elephant’s ears
- Kolkwitzia amabilis – Beauty bush
- Aronia melanocarpa – Black chokeberry
- Rodgersia pinnata – Featherleaf rodgersia
- Helianthemum – Sunrose, rock rose
- Gaura – Gaura, beeblossom
- Vaccinium corymbosum – Blueberry bush
- Berberis vulgaris – Barberry bush
- Daphne – Daphne
- Nandina domestica – Nandina
- Salvia greggii – Autumn sage
- Salvia clevelandii – Cleaveland sage, blue sage
Trees
- Stick to female trees, which may drop berries or seeds but don’t produce pollen
- Persimmon – persimmon tree
- Amelanchier lamarkii – juneberry tree
Vines/Climbing Plants
- Thunbergia alata β Black-eyed Susan vine
Sources: Allergy-Free Gardening, by Thomas Leo Ogren, Creating a Low-Allergen Garden, by Lucy Huntington, Peter Prakke, Horticulturalist, Olivia Kirk, Landscape & Garden Designer for KKE Architects and Melissa Gable, University of California Davis arboretum.
See Also: Plants to Avoid