Creating a low allergen garden

The most significant step you can take in planning a low-allergen garden is to choose bird- or insect pollinated plants rather than wind-pollinated ones. Plants pollinated by birds and insects produce only small amounts of pollen. Many native trees and shrubs are pollinated by birds and insects.

Lawns can also produce a lot of wind-borne pollen. Choose native species or low-pollinating introduced species such as Greenlees Park couch or buffalo. When mowing a lawn, protect your eyes, nose and mouth with a mask and goggles, or mow while the dew is still on the lawn.

What to avoid:

asteraceae family (daisies, chrysanthemums, calendulas, marigolds)
most introduced grasses
wattles
alder
ash
birch
she-oak
cypress
elm
liquidambar
maple
white cedar
oak
olive
poplar
privet
walnut
willow

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Choosing suitable plants

Low-allergy plants include those that are pollinated by insects or birds only, or that are propagated by cuttings or grafting. Some plants you might like to try are:

Grasses and ground covers:

rice or weeping grass
kangaroo grass
buffalo
kidney weed (dichondra)
snow-in-summer
low-growing cotoneaster
native violet

Climbers:

clematis
Chilean jasmine
passionfruit
banksia rose
star jasmine

Shrubs:

azalea
rhododendron
camellia
gardenia
rosemary
heath banksia
bottlebrush
silky tea tree

Trees:

magnolia
sweet bay
citrus
flowering almond, apricot and cherry
scribbly gum
silky oak
lillypilly
cabbage tree palm

Flowers:

alyssum
aquilegia
foxglove
impatiens
lobelia
nasturtium
petunia
snapdragon

For a full list of suitable low-allergen plants, contact your local nursery or the website of the Asthma Foundation in your state.

This information is from the Yates Garden Guide: fully revised & updated 44th edition, HarperCollins, $39.99. You can have this information and so much more at your fingertips by purchasing the Yates Garden Guide, available at all leading bookstores and Bunnings stores.