Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping. - Review - book review

E: The Environmental Magazine, March, 2001 by J.B.

Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping (Ten Speed Press, $19.95)

ROOTING AROUND

If your eyes tear up at the very thought of walking outdoors, Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping (Ten Speed Press, $19.95) should be as close at hand as your Benadryl. There are no clearcut horticultural "goods" and "bads," says author and gardener Thomas Leo Ogren. He has compiled a veritable encyclopedia of plants, rating the allergen potential of anything you're likely to encounter on a trip to the nursery or a stroll through the park. Ogren explains in layman's terms what botanical basics, such as size, shape, colon fragrance and sex, turn a garden from a place of peace into a war zone for itchy eyes. Allergies develop from repeated exposure, he says, and so the best defense is not to fight offensive plants, but to avoid them altogether. With this book, you'll be ready to take evasive action.