The plants that cause the worst symptoms are those that freely release pollen into the air, but even insect-pollenated flowers can irritate the highly sensitive gardener. As a general rule, brightly colored flowers attract insect pollenators. Find out which plants you're allergic to through allergy testing and don't plant them. Well, it isn't that simple. Avoidance is only half the battle, and so many plants cause allergies it's hard to steer clear of them all.
We're fortunate here in northern New England since many of the allergy producing plants are native to the southwest and far west. However, some of the old garden standards are the worst flowers the allergic gardener can plant. Try to avoid aster sp., amaranth sp., artemesia sp., ox-eye daisy, California poppy, ferns, phlox sp., rose sp.(sorry!), snapdragon, sunflower, sweet pea, tansy, and tulip sp. Even though wildly popular right now, if you're allergic you should either pass up ornamental grasses or limit yourself to one specimen planted downwind from where you spend the most time outdoors.
Not everyone is allergic to pollen alone. Some of us unfortuates suffer from mold and fungus allergies as well. Watering mid-morning when plants and soil have a chance to dry off quickly discourages the growth of these nasty allergens. Drip irrigation also helps. Perhaps one of the reasons phlox and roses cause allergic reactions is because they are so subject to powdery mildew. Try growing resistant varieties and see if that helps.
There are a few other things besides avoidance that gardeners can do to reduce their misery. Weed often. Use plastic and wood chips for mulch instead of straw and hay that generate dust. Mow the lawn regularly to prevent the grass from flowering and fertilize it each spring and fall to promote grass rather than weed growth.
Keep a dairy of pollen counts so you know when the season starts. Most allergy medications work best when started two weeks before the onset of the season. Remember, pollen counts indicate what the pollen levels were over the past 24 hours, not what they are now. If you routinely take a prescription or over-the-counter medication for your allergies, dose yourself before you venture out.
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