It is one of Mother Nature’s cruel twists of fate that some of the most beautiful flora and fauna in creation can cause misery for many of us. We are talking about allergies and in particular pollen allergies which makes it extremely difficult for many sufferers to enjoy their garden and that includes those gardens that have been created using a landscaping design.
Thankfully, it is not all bad news as there are many ways in which anyone suffering from pollen allergies can make their landscaping design and activities in their garden less likely to cause them the usual difficulties they suffer from when in an environment with lots of pollen. Some of these tips relate to the landscaping design itself, and others are changes in how the person works in their garden. Here are those seven tips.
Have Someone With No Allergies To Mow Your Lawn: There is nothing wrong with avoiding cutting the grass in your landscaped garden due to your allergies. Hiring garden services to provide professional lawn care is always a readily available option. Instead, we are sure your friends and family will be willing to take on that task for you occasionally, albeit you might need to bribe them with a beer or some other desirable treat or two.
Work In Your Garden On Windy Days And In The Early Morning: It makes sense that if something harms you, such as pollen, that you limit your exposure to it. As it happens, when it is windy and in the early morning are times when pollen counts are at their lowest, so it follows that these are great opportunities to work in your garden.
Wear An Approved Mask, Along With Gloves And Safety Glasses When Working In Your Garden: Sticking with the theme of avoiding pollen, when you do work within your landscaped garden you should always wear an approved mask that prevents you from breathing in pollen spores. In addition, cover your hands with gloves and use safety glasses, not just for pollen, but for the necessary eye protection.
Increase The Number Of Non-Plant Based Features In Your Landscaping Design: If you are planning a new landscaping design for your garden then it is a great opportunity to create one which limits your exposure to pollen. This is achieved by skewing the proportion of plant features versus non-plant features to favour the latter. You can still create a beautiful, landscaped garden with minimal plant numbers.
Use Chips, Stones Or Gravel To Cover Areas Instead Of Grass: On that same theme, your new landscaped garden should limit the amount of grass-covered areas and increase those areas covered by materials that do not induce allergies. These include wooden or concrete patios and areas filled with gravel or woodchips.
Keep Bushes And Hedges Well-Trimmed: As well as making your garden look neat, this serves a greater purpose for those with pollen allergies. Bush and hedge leaves, especially those with larger surfaces, are a magnet for dust, pollen, and mould to collect on and so you should ensure that these surfaces are kept to a minimum by trimming bushes and hedges regularly.
Only Use Pollen-Free Plants: This is the ‘well duh’ tip, but we add it because bizarre as it might seem, there are people with allergies who still insist on having lots of pollen-producing plants within their landscaping design. Plants with little or no pollen include:
Trees – Apple, Plum, Cherry, Magnolia, Pear
Shrubs – Hydrangea, Boxwood, Hibiscus, Rhododendron
Flowers – Daisy, Tulip, Daffodil, Geranium, Rose, Sunflower, Iris
