Wednesday, March 23

Spring is coming and so that means allergies. But, strangely, some of the trees you most blame for your allergies might not be the true culprits. During allergy and asthma season, you often see "cotton" literally flying through the air from cottonwood and willows. SURELY that is what is giving you such trouble breathing. You'd think so, but you'd be wrong. That cotton is actually a form of seed, not pollen. It just happens to be so noticeable when the other, less obvious allergens are causing your problem.  
 
Actually, male birches, alders and junipers may be releasing their pollen at just the same time. Those are the ones to avoid, if possible. Something that has led to some of our current allergy woes? In the past, many people (and cities) avoided planting female trees. They didn't want the maintenance of cleaning up after flowers, fruit or seed pods. Unfortunately, by only plating male trees, they actually created a very allergenic environment. It's the quieter, less obvious male trees that release the pollen which truly aggravates your allergies. Magnolias, which are considered to be allergy friendly, are available in our tree nursery.