Staying on top of the dreaded cold season with three kids is probably one of my family’s biggest challenges. Add one husband and one son with asthma and allergies and a dog throwing his hair around, as well as living in a part of the country known for its pollen issues, and, well, you get the idea….tissues ahoy!

If you’ve got allergy sufferers in your family, you can probably already relate to the importance of minimising dust mites and pet hair inside your home.

Depending upon your location, there may be times of the year when you are surrounded by pollen in the broader community and every time you step outdoors. This can be tricky, but short of locking yourself inside with the air purifier (yes, we have one of those, too) or a space suit to head outside.

So, here are my 12 top tips for garden and plant care for allergy sufferers:

1) Indoor plants get dusty, so give them a fortnightly gentle wipe of the leaves with a damp cloth (it’s good for the plants too)

2) Mowing the lawn? Keep your windows closed while mowing the lawn and for a few hours afterwards until the dust (pollen) settles.

3) Consider wearing a dust mask while gardening and always whilst spreading mulches and using potting mix as they can contain harmful bacteria. Think slip, slop, slap and wrap for pollen protection too (hats, long sleeves, glasses, gloves).

4) The early bird catches the worm, not pollen! Choose an earlier start (before 7 am if you can) in the garden when the pollen count is lower and extra points for windless days. You can often find a pollen count predictor in your local weather service page (Metservice in NZ, and BOM in Australia) to guide you about when pollen peaks each day.

5) Consider having ‘garden gear’ that you can pop over your clothes and throw in the washing machine when you’re heading back indoors. I personally love a chore coat or overall (my favourite is an American brand called Gamine Workwear), but there are loads of brands now making excellent proper outdoor workwear for women and men.

6) I’m usually an advocate for longer lawns for the bees (and lazier weekends), but if your lawn is heavy on seed heads and pollen, consider keeping your lawn shorter or re-sow to something more allergy-friendly that doesn’t produce as many seed heads (consider kikuyu, buffalo, or couch.

7) If you have the above grass and it still produces more seed than it should, it’s probably stressed. Chat with a gardener about how to look after your particular type of lawn.

8) A little airflow is actually beneficial in the garden, as it prevents dust, spores and mould from accumulating on plants (especially hedges). Keep them thinned out and pruned (again, what’s good for you happens to be what’s good for your plants!).

9) Mulch - super important for keeping plants happy, but heavy wood chips and rotting mulch can make for a bad allergy partner. Finer mulch breaks down more quickly, or consider other mulches such as crushed fines (hoggin), stone or even better - living ground covers like Corsican mint, ajuga, dichondra or my personal favourite, creeping thyme.

10) Avoid planting more culprits. In our region, it is pine trees. Other common culprits are wattle (when we lived in Canberra, our son came home from kindy covered in a rash; we later found it was wattle allergy), many introduced grasses, privet, oaks, plantains, olives and even daisies, marigolds and chrysanthemums.

11) Introduce allergen-friendly beauties instead. Think heavy, bright, scented flowering plants and those with nectar (insect pollinated, not wind pollinated), like camelia, hibiscus, scabiosa, sea holly, hebe and roses. Strap-leaved and foliage plants like flax, Renga renga lily and succulents are all great choices.

12) Finally, cut down on the chemical sprays you use. Being exposed to chemicals can increase sensitivity to pollen and allergens. Focus on soil health; if needed, a natural or organic alternative usually will keep you and your garden happy!

Note: None of the links in this post are paid or sponsored; I simply like them and/or think they are helpful.

12 home garden tips every allergy sufferer should know.

Relaxed-luxe Garden Moodboard

Echinacea - In My Garden