Twenty Tips for Producing Low-Allergy Gardens
by Thomas Leo Ogren
What we plant in our own yards often has a direct effect on our own health and the health of those near us. A pollen-producing male tree in our own yard will easily expose us to ten times more pollen than would a similar tree growing just down the block. This can be compared to second-hand smoke. Yes, it is possible to inhale some smoke from a person who is smoking a block or two away from you, but it is hardly the same as someone smoking right next to you. It is the same with plants. If your own yard is full of allergenic plants, then you will be exposed most.
The greater your exposure, the greater your chances are of having allergies and (or) asthma. Here are some tips to avoid allergies and asthma.
1. Don’t plant any male trees or shrubs. These are often sold as "seedless" or "fruitless" varieties but they’re males and they all produce large amounts of allergenic pollen.
2. Do plant female trees and shrubs. Even though these may be messier than males, they produce no pollen, and they actually trap and remove pollen from the air. There is also some very good all-female sod to use for pollen-free lawns. As an added bonus, these female lawns stay low and require less frequent mowing.
3. Plant disease-resistant varieties: mildew, rust, black spot and other plant diseases all reproduce by spores and these spores cause allergies. Disease resistant plants won’t get infected as much and the air around them will be healthier.
4. Use only trees and shrubs well adapted for your own climate zone. Plants grown in the wrong zone will often fail to thrive. Because they are not healthy, they will be magnets for insects. Insect residue, "honeydew," is a prime host for molds and molds produce allergenic mold spores. Often native plants will be the healthiest choices.
5. Be careful with the use of all insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Accidental exposure to all of these chemical pesticides has been shown to cause breakdowns in the immune system. Sometimes one single heavy exposure to a pesticide will result in sudden hypersensitivity to pollen, spores, and to other allergens. This is as true for pets as it is for their owners. Go organic as much as possible. Make and use compost!
6. Diversity is good. Don’t plant too much of the same thing in your landscapes. Use a wide selection of plants. Lack of diversity often causes over-exposure. Use lots of variety in your gardens.
7. Wild birds are a big plus because they eat so many insects. Plant fruiting trees and shrubs to encourage more birds. Suet also attracts many insect-eating birds. Insect dander causes allergies and birds consume an incredible amount of aphids, whiteflies, scale, and other invertebrate pests.
8. Use pollen-free selections whenever possible. There are many hybrids with highly doubled flowers and in many cases these flowers lack any male, pollen parts. Formal double chrysanthemums, for example, usually have no pollen. Another example would be almost all of the erect tuberous begonias. These have complete female flowers, but their male flowers have nothing but petals, making them pollen-free.
9. If you simply must have some high-allergy potential plants in your yard, just because you love them, then watch where you plant them. Don’t use any high-allergy plants near bedroom windows or next to patios, well-used walkways, or by front or back doors. Place the highest allergy plants as far away from the house as possible and downwind of the house too. Remember: the closer you are to the high-allergy tree or shrub, the greater is your exposure.
10. Know the exact cultivar name of a tree or shrub before you buy it. Don’t buy any that are not clearly tagged with the correct cultivar (variety) name and the Latin, scientific name. Compare the exact name of the plant with its OPALS/TM allergy ranking. With this scale, 1 is least allergenic, and 10 is the most allergenic. Try to achieve a landscape that averages at OPALS #5, or below.
11. If you have a tree or hedge that has high allergy potential and don’t want to remove it, consider keeping it heavily sheared so that it will flower less. Boxwood, for example, has allergenic flowers but if pruned hard each year, it will rarely bloom at all.
12. Get involved with your own city’s tree and parks departments, and encourage them to stop planting any more wind-pollinated male trees. There are thousands of fine choices of street trees that do not cause any allergies and we should be using these instead. Working together we can make a healthy difference, and we’ll all breathe better for our efforts.
13. Some localities have enacted pollen-control ordinances. These prohibit the sale and planting of the most highly allergenic trees and shrubs. These ordinances can help save lives and lead to more responsible and more considerate landscaping. Why not get involved and have such a rule of law in your own community?
14. There are a great many very useful female cultivars of Red Maple (Acer rubrum), such as ‘October Glory’ and ‘Red Sunset.’ These trees have exceptional fall color and are pollen-free.
15. Female Junipers (Juniperus spp.) are pollen-free and have beautiful blue-green berries. Numerous female cultivars are sold, such as ‘Blue Point,’ ‘Icee Blue,’ and ‘Hollywood Juniper.’
16. Some trees such as the sycamores and London Plane trees (both Platanus species) produce fuzz on their leaves and stems. This fuzz can become airborne and causes skin rash, itching, and irritation of the eyes, throat and lungs. If you must use them, avoid planting them too close to your house.
17. Pets can and do get allergies too. Often the exact same plants that cause us allergy, will also affect our pets. Dogs and cats in particular may be allergic to pollen. Animals can’t tell us what bothers them. They need us to look out for them.
18. Children are especially susceptible to allergies and asthma. It is crucial that the shade trees in elementary schools be selected to be as pollen-free as possible. Asthma is now the number one most common chronic childhood disease.
19. Older people and especially those in hospitals or retirement homes are also at increased risk from excessive pollen. Shrubs near windows need to be allergy-free. Pollen is tiny and can easily pass through even the tightest window screens.
20. Trees and shrubs next to any bedroom windows will have a large effect on the health of the people inside these bedrooms. Poisonous plants such as Podocarpus or Yews, if they are male, will shed many millions of grains of airborne pollen. Pollen from the males of these two species is both allergenic and poisonous.
*Note, with the dioecious plants (separate-sexed) only males cause pollen-allergy, and females because they are pollen free, do not. Some examples of some of these dioecious plants are: red maple, silver maple, box elder, holly, willow, aspen, cottonwood, poplar, fringe tree, pepper tree, carob tree, Osage orange, mulberry, cedar, juniper, Podocarpus, yews, ash, date palms, and even such common garden plants as asparagus.
Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, from Ten Speed Press. More than 3,000 plants are individually allergy-ranked (OPALSTM) in this book. Tom does consulting work on landscape plants and allergies for the USDA, Allegra, county asthma coalitions, arborist and landscape design associations, and the Canadian and American Lung Associations. He has appeared on HGTV and The Discovery Channel. He has an MS in Agriculture/Horticulture and writes for such diverse publications as New Scientist, Earth Island Journal, Landscape Architecture, American Rose, Pacific Coast Nurseryman, Alternative Medicine, Women’s Day, and Wild Ones Journal.Tom can be reached through his website at www.allergyfree-gardening.com
 Gardeners: Contain Yourselves!
by: Debbie Rodgers
Whether you live in a tiny city apartment or on a large country estate, gardening in containers is a way to add colour and the beauty of nature to your surroundings. The three main elements of creating successful containers gardens are:
- Choosing the pots
- Getting the right planting medium
- Selecting the plants
In all of these elements, the key is to create a healthy growing environment for the plant roots. For a healthy root system, water must be able to pass quickly through the soil. As the water drains out, air replaces it in the soil and an exchange of carbon dioxide is made with the plant roots. This movement of water and air is essential to a healthy plant.
Here are some tips to help you choose from the dizzying array of pots, troughs and boxes:
- Pick the spot for your garden first and then find a container to suit it. For example, a quaint wooden trough would not suit a modern balcony, nor would classic urn shaped pots be the best choice for an informal country style garden. In addition to style considerations, give attention to size and proportion issues.
- Consider the weight of the container – not only empty, but filled with wet soil and plants. If there is a strong prevailing breeze across your outdoor space, the container must be heavy enough to prevent it from tipping over. On the other hand, the structure on which the containers are placed must be able to support them (so a large concrete trough would be less than ideal for a balcony or wooden porch, and a 6 ft wooden trough would need a VERY strong ledge to make it a suitable window box). Since a 30-gallon planter can weigh more than 200 pounds once it’s filled, think about either planting the container in place, or setting it on plant casters or dollies.
- Clay/terracotta pots are attractive and complement a wide range of foliage and flowering plants. They are the traditional potting container because, in addition to draining well, they wick moisture through their sides. This provides a drier root environment, which means less opportunity for root diseases. However, it also means more frequent watering is needed. If you tend to underwater, use terra cotta pots for only drought tolerant plants, or choose another type of container. On the down side, clay pots can be heavy and must be protected in colder climates during the winter to prevent cracking. A glazed clay container is non-porous, creating a moisture barrier. Because this will not allow the root system to breathe, glazed pots are best used with a regular terracotta pot inside of them.
- Plastic pots are inexpensive, lightweight and functional, and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. If you don’t like the look of plastic, apply a faux finish to fool the eye, or slip the plastic pots inside other containers. With the proper soil mix and attentive watering, plants do well in plastic pots. If you tend to underwater your plants, plastic is a better choice than terra cotta for you. However, plastic containers may need to be weighted down to stay in place on windy days.
- Wood containers look good in naturalistic environments, and most plants do well in them. Wood drains better than plastic but does not have the wicking advantage of clay, and wood containers can be heavy when planted. Choose containers made of hardwood, such as redwood, cedar or cypress, which are less susceptible to rot over time. Lining wood containers with heavyduty plastic bags will give you added protection from moisture, but you must remember to provide proper drainage.
- Metal containers can be used successfully in many modern settings. Galvanized containers are the best for planting – they won’t leach rust or chemicals into the soil. Unless the container was designed as a planter, you’ll need to add drainage holes to the bottom of the pot, or slip other pots inside it.
- Found items can add variety and whimsy to your container garden. If you’re going to plant directly in such items as watering cans, old boots, teapots or wheelbarrows consider drainage and air movement around the roots of the plants.
Now that you chosen the perfect containers, you need to select the planting medium and the plants. We’ll cover that in a future issue of Tales From the Porch Swing.
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About The Author
Debbie Rodgers owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Visit her on the web at www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on “Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor space”. Mail to debbie@paradiseporch.com |
 Get Gardening Help on the Internet
by Robin Nobles
At the first sign of the ground thawing in the spring, gardeners rush outside to work in their flowerbeds or vegetable gardens. Though considered "work" by many, to a gardener, there's nothing more relaxing than piddling around in the dirt and working with tender new plants.
At the National Gardening Association's Easy Seed-Starting Guide, you can "get your garden off to a good start" with their step-by-step instructions and tips from the pros. Learn the germination temperature, the number of days to germinate, plant spacing, and the amount of sunlight required. Access the National Gardening Magazine to learn about new vegetables, fruit, or roses for 1998.
http://www.wowpages.com/nga/
By far, one of the best gardening sites on the Web is GardenGuides, where you'll discover anything and everything "green." Learn how to prepare herbs, how to force bulbs, and how to grow gardens in a container.
http://www.gardenguides.com/
At Pathfinder's Virtual Garden, you can click on Armchair Gardener for the best gardening articles from publications such as SOUTHERN LIVING or SUNSET magazines. If you don't have a lot of time for gardening, maybe the Weekend Projects section would be perfect for you, where you can access categories such as Instant Gardening, Gardening Basics, or Backyard Builder.
http://pathfinder.com/vg/
Fine Gardening Online Magazine offers a guided web tour of their favorite seed starting resources. Or, learn that every year, the Heirloom Daffodils signal the return of spring. Under Design, you can learn how to have a great garden in just one year, or learn how to have spring-to-fall color in a shady spot. Access a flower bloom chart, or learn how to design a water garden.
http://www.taunton.com/fg/
Typical of their outstanding magazine, Better Homes & Gardens offers a Gardening Home Page full of helpful features such as Gardening Maps, where you can check out the most detailed plant hardiness maps on the Internet.
http://www.bhglive.com/gardening/index.html
Are you having problems with your garden? Visit the no-nonsense Problem Identification Aids and see if you can find a solution. Categories are flowers, ground covers, shrubs, and trees.
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/problems.html
If you're interested in flowers, Flowerbase is the place for you. The database offers over 7,000 pictures of flowers, plants, and garden plants.
http://www.flowerweb.nl/flowerbase/
Rose gardeners need to stop by the Rose Resource page. Find the perfect award-winning rose for your garden, or learn rose gardening tips.
http://www.rose.org/
We'll close with a comprehensive listing of gardening sites, Internet Gardening, where you'll find links to publications, other gardeners, reference sites, gardening discussion groups, and a listing of impressive gardens to visit. If you travel, be sure to click on the Calendar of Garden Events to learn of gardening happenings in areas where you might visit.
http://learning.lib.vt.edu/garden.html
Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Robin Nobles is a freelance writer whose articles on surfing the Web are published in six newspapers regularly. She also writes articles about the Web and Internet in publications such as Internet Newsroom, InfoAlert, WebVantage, CompuNotes, ChipNET, The Sunshine Post, Bridges Initiatives, and more. She can be reached at robin@robinsnest.com or through her website: Robin's Nest for Writers and Web Surfers - http://www.robinsnest.com/
Winter and Early Spring Family Bird-Feeding Activities
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Written by: Susan Dunn
Web Site: The EQ Coach
Date Submitted: 02/03/2003 |
Did you know that even in spring, food is still scarce for birds? It's too cool yet for many insect populations, and there won't be any fruit on trees until harvest time.
Feeding birds in the winter is a great family activity. It helps the birds too!
FIRST DO SOME STUDYING & READING
Check out the bird photo library here: http://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa020100a.htm
Learn about the different birds! http://www.gardenartisans.com
/birdhouses.html offers a 64-page color flip book called "Early Bird: Common Backyard Birds," with pictures of birds and migratory
maps. You can learn to identify and at tract birds to your yard.
Also contains drawings and measurements for building birdhouses to suit specific birds. Only $5.95.
Download free kids kit "Learn about Backyard Birds" at http://www.birdfeeding.org/kids.html
And go here to learn bird songs and calls:
http://birding.about.com/cs/songsandcalls/
WHAT TO FEED THE BIRDS?
There are tons of products available for feeding birds. In most
locations, however, the best bet for attracting birds is black-oil
sunflower seed. It's got a high meat-to-shell ratio, it's high in
fat, and it's small size and thin shell make it easy for small birds to handle and crack. (The striped version is larger and has a harder shell.)
You'll want to attract smaller birds, because larger birds like
starlings, doves and grackles can cause quite a mess and are very
noisy as well.
Never feed birds spoiled leftovers, salty snack foods or sugary
cereals. Also NEVER chocolate. Chocolate contains an ingredient
called theobromine, which is toxic to birds as well as dogs and cats.
Only use peanut butter if you mix it with seed. Alone, it can
choke birds.
Different feed attracts different birds. Here's a chart that will tell you about this:
http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/BirdFoods.htm
Here are some suet recipes: http://birding.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://
www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~tross/by/suetrecs.html
FEEDERS
· Place your feeders where you can see them, but also where the birds can get away quickly in case of predators - like the family cat.
· Consider what's UNDER the feeder, because it's going to get bird poop on it.
· Vary the heights of your feeders for fun watching.
· Wash your feeders at least twice a year. Recommends using a solution of 10% bleach and wearing gloves and a mask.
WATER
Birds also need water so if you put it out, they'll come. According
to Cornell U., birds prefer water at ground level (you can just use a dish or shallow pan), but if there's a cat-danger, raise it 2-3' above ground.
· Put sand in the bottom to help the birds get their footing
· Change the water every couple of days to keep it fresh
· Put some branches or stones in there so the birds can stand
on them and drink without getting wet. This is important in the
winter.
MAKE YOUR OWN FEEDERS
Bird feeders don't need to be purchased, expensive or elaborate.
http://www.osweb.com/kidzkorner/feeder.htm gives some great homemade feeder specs including these two:
· Punch holes on either side of a plastic pop bottle, stick
a twig all the way through with its ends sticking out for perches and poking more holes nearby for the birds to pull the seeds out. Then hang the bottle by tying a string around its neck. (Finches really like these!)
· Coat a pine cone with peanut butter, roll it in birdseed, and hang it from a tree branch.
You can order a birdhouse kit here that you can make with your children:
http://www.gardenartisans.com/kids.html.
EXTEND THE LEARNING PROJECT
Take photographs of the birds and make a scrapbook about this family activity.
Your children can also submit their own stories, articles, activities, poems and artwork about birds here:
http://www.osweb.com/kidzkorner/writeus.htm. |
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