Safe allergy-friendly flowers

What flowers are best for an allergy-friendly garden?

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##FULL QUESTION## Dear *Gardening Life*, My four-year-old grandson had a horrible allergic reaction to some geraniums I wintered inside. We like to garden together in summer. What are the safest flowers for an allergy-friendly garden and what should we avoid? *—Karen Mitchell, Bradford, ON*

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##FULL ANSWER## Karen, Most allergies are caused by pollen, so stay away from wind-pollinated plants such as grasses, sedges and many trees including sycamore, pine, poplar and Chinese elm. Safe flowering plants (pollinated by birds or insects) include rhododendron, azalea, impatiens, petunia, pansy, begonia, columbine, hollyhock, hosta, foxglove, daylily, clematis, balloon flower, penstemon, stonecrop, snapdragon, zinnia, herbs, pinks, lobelia and salvia. Don’t be afraid of goldenrod; it does not cause allergies. The real culprit is ragweed. Avoid spurges (*Euphorbia*), which have a white latex (sap) that can cause a contact reaction. For more, check out Tom Ogren’s informative website, allergyfree-gardening.com. *—Marjorie Harris, Editor at Large* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce Eliminating invasive trumpet Caring for double-flowering hibiscus trees Eliminating white aphids from honeysuckle vine Where to purchase Japanese blood grass An alternative to rhododendrons Growing a vegetable garden over a septic field Dividing and replanting daylilies Proper care for oakleaf hydrangea The best care for shrub roses 'The Fairy' Pest eating purple leaf sand cherry Preventing lawn brown spots Keeping plants sturdy Preventing suckers from a cut-down serviceberry tree Best tomato seeds to sow Preventing wind damage to grasses Plants to highlight a pool Reshaping yew tree The best way to replace a lawn Best screening plants for privacy Buying snowberries in Montreal Keeping 'Endless Summer' hydrangea growing strong The proper way to fill planters The proper way to grow hyacinths Boston ivy and rough winters Fast growing shade tree Using black walnut chips under a cedar tree Compatible plants with bell peppers Beneficial plants for roses Growing berries on a firethorn Improving asparagus garden Medium-height planting suggestions

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