Last month I was asked, as a result of my review of Tom Ogren's latest book on allergen free gardening, to write a piece for a gardening website. I was deeply flattered! So, since I know that half of you who read my blog only do so for the garden, I thought I would share my tips …
Tom Ogren
Can we blame male trees for the dramatic increase in the rates of hay fever? Tom Ogren says ‘yes’!
The sex life of plants, including trees, is not simple. Some, known as perfect flowered plants, have their male and female parts in the one flower so are effectively self pollinating (roses or apples); some, known as monoecious flowered plants have separate male and female …
On the re-sexing of trees and other matters respiratory
I spent much of last weekend discussing the re-sexing of trees. Not your everyday Sunday papers conversation - but fascinating none the less. How come? Well, I had staying as house guests Tom Ogren, world authority on allergen-free gardening, and Nigel Clarke, garden-centre …
Alas, still no allergen-free gardens…
I am, yet again, totally baffled........ There are around 12 million hay fever sufferers in the UK, approximately 20% of the population. And there are around 25 million amateur gardeners, approximately 40% of the population – and that is not counting those who garden for a …
Ugly plants have higher pollen counts!
The uglier the plant or flower, the more allergy-inducing its pollens tends to be! What a lovely neat theory being propounded by Dr Robert Valet, assistant professor of Medicine and an allergist at Vanderbilt University – and reported in Science Daily. Although it seems rather …