|
·
One
of the gardeners’ cruelest afflictions in this area has to be seasonal
hayfever and it’s the wind pollinating plants that are the biggest villains:
Cupressus, Pines, including Callitris the "Native Pine", Silver Birch,
Ash, Plane, Elm, Privet, most Wattles, dryland Eucalypts, Melaleucas,
Callistemon, Sheoaks and of course “Salvation Jane”.
·
Then
there are the grasses, Couch Grass if left for two weeks without cutting will
flower in summer, Rye Grass, Wild Oats and Barley Grass are thankfully past
their seasonal worst now. Now even if you don’t plant these, their pollen is
so light it can be carried on the wind for hundreds of kilometres, so there’s
not much you can do about these, other than gobble up the Telfast®.
·
There
are of course a few lawn substitutes such as the natives Dichondra or
Lippia and the tiny yellow daisy, Chamomile, that all make reasonable
lawns that only need to be mown infrequently and have little or no pollen, so
you can reduce the immediate pollen count around your front door a bit.
·
A
common allergy for gardeners is from fungal spores, present in mulches and
composts. The effects can be greatly reduced by watering down lucerne and pea
straw before spreading it, or simply getting someone else to spread it for you.
·
If
you are particularly troubled by hayfever, asthma or allergies, you must get
[Dr] Mark Ragg’s book “The Low Allergy Garden”, published Hodder &
Stoughton Rydalmere NSW 1996, I’ve found it very helpful, as a sufferer
myself.
·
And
remember Judith Wright’s poem about her neighbour’s wattle tree that he
eventually cut down fearing it caused his hayfever, that left poor old
Mr-Whatever- his-name was, with hayfever…”nothing will cure it”. It’s
certainly not always the obvious anyhow.
|
