Spurred on by our recent burst of unseasonally summer weather – and an email from from Laura Antebi who is coming to stay while she exhibits her wonderful horses, my mind has turned once more the Chelsea Flower Show.
Every year I set off on press day with my good friend Anne Davies who advises the RHS, among many others, on disabilty access, hoping that I am going to find at least one allergen free garden – and every year, I am disappointed.
Given that at a very conservative estimate, 25% of the population suffers from hay fever, not to mention allergic asthmatics and those who suffer from contact allergies triggered by plants – and given that there are loads of low-allergen plant options – why are there no low-allergen show gardens at Chelsea? Or, indeed, at any of the other RHS and local gardens shows around the country?
Several years ago, after yet another frustrated visit to Chelsea, I decided to try and do something about it. So I contacted the RHS. They were very friendly, and agreed that it would be a really good idea, but – the design of the show gardens, both large and small, was entirely up to the individual designers so it was entirely out of their hands.
So then I emailed all the designers who had been at that year’s show asking them if they might be interested in doing an allergy-free or low-allergen garden. I got about three responses, all from relatively small designers who said that possibly they could be, but… Unless I already had a sponsor they didn’t really think that they would be interested as they didn’t think anyone else would be…
I remember one particular conversation during which the designer admitted that he suffered from hay fever himself and that Chelsea was absolute torture as the pollen was dreadful. ‘So why not design an allergen-free garden?’ I said…… ‘Oh well, I just take lots of antihistamines and put up with it – that’s what everyone else does…… I don’t think that anyone would be interested in an allergy-free garden – it would be so boring….’
How negative can you be – and what rubbish anyhow! Anyone who takes antihistamines regularly knows that they may stop you sniffling but at the cost of feeling at the best dopey, at the worst, depressed, miserable and ill. And as for low-allergen gardens being boring…
OK, you may have to give up on swathes of grasses (which must surely have run their fashion course by now anyhow) but your garden could scarcely be dull if filled with aquilegias, azaleas, fuschias, heuchara, bizzy lizzies, Japanese quince, lobelia, narcissus, nasturtiums and wallflowers, not to mention glorious displays of begonias and clematis – and that is only a small selection of the low allergen plants that you could grow.
Come on, garden designers – and come on Royal Horticultural Society! Climb outside of your box and show some leadership here! We really do not need yet another sea-of-waving-grass-wild-flower-meadow show garden. Give us something that will allow allergic gardeners to enjoy their gardens without having to dope themselves up to the eyeballs or spend the whole summer with weeping eyes, blocked noses and itching hands!
If you need inspiration, there are a clutch of informative articles on the Foods Matter website including several by my good friend Tom Ogren who knows most of what there is to know about low-allergen gardening. Check his website or even go one further and buy one of his excellent books – Allergen-free Gardening, or Safe Sex in the Garden, both available from the site.
PS. I have just been reading about the Chelsea Fringe Festival – ‘a brand new initiative, entirely volunteer-run – entirely independent of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, though acting with its support…… The idea is to give people the freedom and opportunity to express themselves through the medium of plants and gardens. It will range from grassroots community garden projects to avant-garde art installations. Our open-access principle means that just about anything goes – as long as it’s interesting and on the subject of gardens, flowers, veg-growing or landscape.’ I can’t wait! the festival runs in May – both before and after Chelsea – but to find out more, log into their website.
Hay fever is definitely a pain (in the eyes!). I find mine comes on when trees like hazel and other catkin-makers bloom as early as Feb. I have also noticed that eating dairy and gluten make it worse. And jut like our beloved honey bees, I am also “allergic” to microwave (phones, etc) and electro-magnetic radiation. So much so, that I start becoming sensitive to dust and even to my cat!! Despite my best effort, I will never get rid of all the dust in my house and I couldn’t possibly live without my furry friend. Going back to the “enemy”: pollen. Can anyone stop pollen at the garden fence? And what about our starving pollinators? I think it is better to look at ourselves to solve the problem of pollen allergies rather than deprive ourselves of “real” (pollen rich) plants for expensive infertile hybrids.
Hi Nathalie- All my sympathies for your pollen and your electrosensitivity…
On the subject of pollen – no, obviously, you cannot stop it at our garden fence but if you can lower the pollen count in your own immediate environment then it will obviously help your overall load. And lowering pollen load certainly does not mean going for infertile hybrids. It is all a question of how the plant chooses to disseminate its pollen/seeds. Some, such as grasses and some trees, use the wind – thereby causing endless problems for those who are allergic. Others use scent and colour to attract birds and insects (including bees) who pick the pollen out and carry it away to be disseminated elsewhere. It is a fascinating subject – do read the article on low allergen gardening on our site – it will explain it all!!
I am going to forward this post to my niece who happens to work for the RHS! Not what you know and all that. Great PR story for them.
For Nathalie, I note your hayfever gets worse with dairy and gluten. This is probably because the gluten is affecting the zonulin in your mucosal barriers which leads to them becoming more porous and then allowing more of your allergens through. Dairy is a cross-reactive food to gluten and the body reacts in the same way. I am working on the so-called barrier project currently all about this and just thought it might help to have a possible reason for the link.
@ Michelle – Thanks for the great article and sorry for my earlier rant! I had no idea decking could harbour mould and fungi as much as compost heaps and fallen leaves, I will forward your article to a friend who’s an interior designer slowly venturing into “the extra room” outside the back door, she’s also plagued with allergies. And I am a witness to Rue’s great hidden powers: I still “rue” the day i decided to weed around my rue plant one sunny Sunday, wearing gloves but only short sleeves… Simply check Ruta Graveolens on Wikipedia and the picture could be of me (except mine was all over), and two years later, I still bear the scars on my forearms! My “gardening war wounds”!!!
@ Micki – Thanks for the info on zonulin. I had no idea, just made the link by observing my symptoms. What is the “barrier project”? Sounds fascinating. Maybe Michelle and/or you could write an article about it?
Good luck with it.
Hi Nathalie – Yes, please – do spread the allergen free gardening message as widely as possible!! In fact, I understand that the Royal Society of Pathology (I think) will have a stand in the ‘Learning Centre’ at Chelsea this year about allergies in the garden this year but, excellent though I am sure it will be, we need to be out front in the show gardens!!
Micki is just completing her ‘barrier project’ material and will, I hope, be wirtng for us about it very soon. Meanwhile, you can follow her progress on her Truly Gluten Free site.
Hi Nathalie – All rants welcome!! and yes, please – do spread the allergen free gardening message as widely as possible!! In fact, I understand that the Royal Society of Pathology (I think) will have a stand in the ‘Learning Centre’ at Chelsea this year about allergies in the garden this year but, excellent though I am sure it will be, we need to be out front in the show gardens!!
Micki is just completing her ‘barrier project’ material and will, I hope, be wirtng for us about it very soon. Meanwhile, you can follow her progress on her Truly Gluten Free site.
Hi Nathalie – All rants welcome!! and yes, please – do spread the allergen free gardening message as widely as possible!! In fact, I understand that the Royal Society of Pathology (I think) will have a stand in the ‘Learning Centre’ at Chelsea this year about allergies in the garden but, excellent though I am sure it will be, we need to be out front in the show gardens!!
Micki is just completing her ‘barrier project’ material and will, I hope, be writing for us about it very soon. Meanwhile, you can follow her progress on her Truly Gluten Free site.
Thanks Michelle. My testers will be trialling the Barrier Plan this week and hope to go live next week with it at long last, although it will continually evolve, I have no doubt. I will be sending you a link shortly to have a preview peek yourself. By the way, my niece loved the idea of an allergen-free garden and has passed it upward to the powers that be at the RHS so fingers crossed.
Nathalie, glad to help. There soon, I hope.
Brilliant, Micki – on both fronts! Shall await developments…..