Landscaping is a key point for maintaining your home value, but with the warmer weather comes the wheezes and sneezes of allergy season.
Not to worry, though; there are plenty of ways to spend time outdoors sprucing up the look of your home without the bothersome symptoms of allergies and asthma. Even better news: You don't have to limit your outdoor decorating choices to stones and concrete.
Top 10 Tips when Working Outdoors to help reduce Allergy and Asthma symptoms
- When working outdoors, wear a face mask, hat, glasses, gloves and a long-sleeve shirt to reduce skin and nose contact with the pollen.
Avoid these garden plants if you have allergies:
- Grasses: Bermuda, Fescue, Johnson, June, Orchard, Perennial Rye, Redtop, Salt Grass, Sweet Vernal, Timothy
- Shrubs: Cypress, Juniper
- Trees: Alder, Ash, Aspen, Beech, Birch, Box Elder, Cedar, Cottonwood, Elm, Hickory, Maple, Mulberry, Oak, Olive, Palm, Pecan, Pine, Poplar, Sycamore, Walnut, Willow
- Weeds: Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac, Cocklebur, Pigweed, Ragweed, Russian Thistle Sagebrush
Consider these garden options, as they are less allergenic:
- Flowering Plants: Begonia, Cactus, Chenille, Clematis, Columbine, Crocus, Daffodil, Daisy, Dusty Miller, Geranium, Hosta, Impatiens, Iris, Lily, Pansy, Periwinkle, Petunia, Phlox, Rose, Salvia, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Thrift, Tulip, Verbena, Zinnia
- Grasses: St. Augustine
- Shrubs: Azalea, Boxwood, English Yew, Hibiscus, Hydrangea, Virburnum
- Trees: Apple, Cherry, Chinese Fan Palm, Fern Pine, Dogwood, English Holly, Hardy Rubber Tree, Magnolia, Pear, Plum, Red Maple
You certainly have less control over the air quality outdoors than indoors. But just because you suffer from allergies or asthma, that doesn't mean you have to be confined indoors. When you play it smart and take a few precautionary measures, you can spend more time outdoors and create a beautiful looking yard that the whole family can enjoy during the spring and summer months.
Enjoy the outdoor weather, but make sure that you keep yourself and family healthy!