Jennifer Byron (Getty) 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 – Sweet pea
- Catharanthus roseus – Periwinkle
- Digitalis – Foxglove
- Impatiens – Impatiens
- Myosotis – Forget-me-nots
- Nierembergia – Cup flower
- Petunia – Petunia
- Viola – Johnny jump up, pansy, violet
- Brodiaea – Elephant’s ears
- Crocus – Spring-flowering crocus
- Cyclamen – Cyclamen
- Galanthus – Snowdrops
- Gladiolus – Gladiolus
- Hyacinth – Hyacinth (numerous varieties)
- Gentiana – Gentian
- Geranium – True geranium, cranesbill
- Hemerocallis – Day lily
- Peony – Peony
- Polemonium – Jacob’s ladder
- Rhododendron – Azalea, rhododendron
- Fuchsia – Fuchsia
- Dianthus – Carnation, pinks
- Papaver – Poppy
- Begonia – Fibrous or tuberous begonia
- Rosa – Rose (avoid high-scent varieties)
- Phlox – 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 – Coleus
- Hosta – Hosta, plantain lily
- Physalis – Chinese lantern
- Sempervivum – Hens and chicks
- Hydrangea grandiflora – 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 – 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
