Saturday, April 7, 2007

Gardening With Allergies

Airborne pollen triggers allergic reactions in millions of Americans. These sufferers can reduce their exposure by making changes to their gardening practices. There are steps you can take to reduce your exposure.

One oft-mentioned solution is to minimize pollen by eradicating male plants of so-called dioecious species from the landscape. (Although most plants have both male and female flowers, or even male and female parts in each flower, dioecious species have separate male and female plants.) But “you can’t tell people ‘don’t plant male plants’ if you want plants to be able to perpetuate themselves,” says NWF Chief Naturalist Craig Tufts. And without male plants and their pollen to fertilize flowers, he adds, there would be far fewer berries and other food for wildlife.

Indeed, it is possible to have a healthy garden that pleases not only you but also the birds, bees and other animals that are the primary pollinators of many plants.

Read the entire article.

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