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Allergy-Free Gardening: book review

© Colleen Kaemmerer

At different times throughout the year, my allergy symptoms worsen after just a few minutes outside -- even in my own yard. I have wondered that if I did re-landscape, are there trees and shrubs that might be preferable, allergy-wise? Even though I have read many allergy books and articles, I have never seen the subject addressed.

Until now. I have just finished reading a new book, Allergy-Free Gardening, by Thomas Leo Ogren. I'm an avid reader, and I've noticed that the word "groundbreaking" gets tossed around frequently on the back covers of many non-fiction books. However, in this case, the description is totally applicable. In his book, Thomas Ogren introduces a sensible, yet revolutionary, approach to both municipal and home landscaping.

Ogren, a horticulturist, became interested in allergy-free gardening due to his wife's allergies and asthma. Allergy-Free Gardening is the result of his extensive research. The first section of the book describes the basic concepts.

Plants, you may be surprised to discover, have a sex life. Some plants have male and female parts all inside the same flower -- these are known as bisexual or perfect. Others have both male and female flowers on the same plant. Still others are "dioecious flowered". In this system, the flowers on one plant are either all male or all female, and the plants themselves are either all male or all female. This is a key point because, for example, only male dioecious trees produce the pollen that fertilize the female trees, which in turn, produce seed and fruit. Furthermore, most landscaping is done with male plants, yet pollen causes a large amount of outdoor allergy problems. One primary reason this is done is that because male trees, for example, produce pollen and not fruit or seed, so they are not thought to be as "messy", and are therefore considered to be more low-maintenance. To reduce allergens then, you can use more female plants and low-allergen male plants. I am, of course, simplifying this; the book goes on to explain the concepts in greater detail.

How can you determine the allergy potential of a tree or shrub? Ogren has developed a rating system called OPALS(tm). (Ogren Plant-Allergy Scale). The second section of the book contains an alphabetical listing of over 3000 plants, descriptive information, and most importantly, the plants' allergy ratings. There are also several photos of plants, which I found very helpful, since I am plant-illiterate. At the end of the photo section, you will also find a plant hardiness zone map. (The plants' zone ratings are also included in the listings.)

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