Allergy-free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping

by Thomas Leo Ogren

With allergy problems reaching alarming, epidemic levels, horticulturist Tom Ogren sets out to investigate the role that urban landscaping plays in this urgent health crisis. What he discovered was startling: The vastly disproportionate cultivation of all-male plant varieties produces large amounts of intensely irritating airborne pollen. This extensively researched, comprehensive, plant-by-plant reference alerts gardeners and helps them make landscaping choices that can drastically reduce their exposure to harmful allergens. Complete with alphabetical entries of basic planting information, growing zones, and allergy ratings.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

Reviews

[Bonnie]

This book should be the very first book anyone should buy if they have their own yard, or even a window box. Even if you do not personally suffer from allergies...or asthma, someone living close-by may. This book includes the tremendously helpful allergy charts that rate each plant on a scale from 1-10 on how allergic that plant may be to the average sufferer. Also tells weather a female plant in that species would be a better choice. I never purchase any perennials, shrubs or trees without consulting this book first. I even go so far as to carry it in the car with me on trips to the Gardening Shops.

[Write Gardener]

Anyone putting any plant into the ground needs this book! It is my bible for planting. I absolutely will not bring home any plant without knowing its allergy rating. So many people have allergies today. A lot of this could be avoided if landscapers, gardeners, builders, and home owners first checked this book. It is an invaluable resource. Thank you, again and again and again Tom Ogren!

[Tammy]

I never knew that daisies give off more pollen than any other flower or how far tree pollen can travel.

[Tom Burns]

This is an outstanding cross reference if you're a gardener with allergies. It has even come in handy determining which house plants and kitchen herb garden plants to select.

[Mizloo]

Brilliant, scholarly and very, very useful.