More often than not, the number one allergy trigger for plants is pollen, not the flowers themselves. While some plants have high pollen counts, there are many with low or no pollen levels, meaning there are still plenty of options for gardeners with allergies to enjoy! Plants with male flowers, whether the plant only has male flowers (dioecious) or both male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious), are typically worse for allergies as male flowers are the pollen producers on plants. But lucky for us, pollen usually only irritates allergy symptoms when it’s airborne. Plants that wind rather than animal pollinated tend to be most likely to evoke seasonal allergy symptoms. Due to their light and dusty pollen, wind-pollinated plants are known to be one of the most common contributors to seasonal allergies or hay fever. Plants that have sticky pollen (pollen grains on insect-pollinated plants tend to be heavier and tacky to make it more likely to stick to the insect’s body) or no pollen at all are typically the best allergy-friendly choices.

For some allergy sufferers, fragrance can also trigger symptoms. While some plants may not typically irritate sufferers, their highly fragranced blooms can sometimes still be irritating for one. So many gardeners may want to consider limiting highly fragrant plants in their garden this season if they find them bothersome.