Do you suffer a runny nose, sneezing, coughing or burning eyes when you work in your garden or even just walk outside? I do during certain times of the year. It's called "allergies" which means your immune system has an incorrect response to something "in the air." Most of my own respiratory illnesses are caused either directly or indirectly by my allergies. Today, I'd like to share a book with you written by a man claiming that our landscaping is the culprit for some of these problems. I found this book to be very revealing and believe you will too.

Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping by Thomas Leo Ogren, published in 2000 by Ten Speed Press, presents a solid case for claiming that our gardening and landscaping practices may be the culprit for the continual increase in the number of allergy or asthma sufferers. A medical doctor, David A. Stadtner, wrote the forward to the book. He explains allergic reactions in terms that a lay person can easily understand.

In the Introduction, Ogren states:

The concept–the soul–of this book is simply that through research, common sense, and knowledge, we can create fabulous landscapes and gardens that will not make us, our children, or our neighbors sick. As gardeners, we can control what we plant and dramatically limit allergens in our own yards. [page xvi]

This scale is the first of its kind available to landscapers or gardeners. The United States Department of Agriculture is now implementing the use of this scale to determine allergy ratings for our urban environments. Each city is analyzed for the variety of species grown within its boundaries. The number of trees of each species is included. Multiply the total biomass of each species by it's allergy rating to get a numerical rank for the city. Perhaps in the near future, people deciding to move to another area will be able to determine that city's allergy rating in addition to the quality of its schools, shopping, cost of living and other factors.

The book is divided into two sections. The first section discusses Ogren's personal beliefs about why allergies are on the rise. He blames it on two factors: (1) the dramatic increase in air pollution and (2) an increase in the use of "male only" plants which produce plenty of pollen but no seeds to clean up each year. He also discusses "volatile organic compounds" which are released by some trees. These are compounds that create hydrocarbons, one of the major components of smog and air pollution, when they are combined with sunlight and nitrogen. Most of us have never heard of these substances. We have been taught that we should plant more trees to help clear up air pollution. However, the fact that some trees actually cause smog and air pollution is not mentioned very often and certainly is not generally known by the public.

I strongly urge you to read the remainder of section one to learn more about pollen and its production. Many factors enter into the rating scale to determine if a particular plant is low or high on the OPAL scale. While reading this section, you'll receive a basic botany lesson which will help you make better personal choices in selecting plants for your garden.

Section II lists thousands of commonly found plants. You'll find its allergy rating and other comments about each variety. I appreciate the fact that Ogren lists common names for the plants and then tells you the Latin or "scientific name" you need to find the information. If the tree has many different cultivars, each is listed with it's own allergy rating. Note that male cultivars always rate high while female varieties rate very low. The book concludes with a horticultural glossary, some suggested references, and a pollen calendar which shows the months when various species release their pollen.

With this book in hand while shopping at your local nursery, you can begin to select plants with a low allergy rating. This will at least limit the pollen production in your own yard. If more people become familiar with the concept of allergy-free gardening, we can begin to lower the air-borne pollen count in our own neighborhoods.

Since I am an indoor gardener in addition to my outside gardening, I went through the plant list and located the main genuses of plants that I collect. These included cactus and succulents, and flowering plants such as African violets, Begonias, and Impatiens. I was very pleased to learn that each of these rates toward the low end of the allergy causing scale.

Recommendation

Education of city planners, the general public, and certainly, landscapers is needed regarding this issue. I feel this news should be front page news in every newspaper in the nation today! Perhaps this book will lead to a public outcry against current practices in plant choices. The situation can be turned around and allergies or asthma would begin declining instead of doubling every decade.

I cannot make my recommendation concerning this book strong enough. It absolutely belongs in every allergy suffer's home, in every doctor's office, at every greenhouse or garden center, and on every landscaper's desk. If even one person in your family suffers from pollen allergies, please visit Ten Speed Press and purchase this book today. You'll be glad you did after you finish reading it. It may well become one of the most dog-eared books in your library.