Problem: Battling asthma and allergies when you really want to be out gardening in the sunshine.
Safe solution: Choose insect-pollinated plants, which have heavier pollen that doesn't tend to become airborne.
Here are some showy, insect-pollinated flowers, shrubs and trees that, for most allergy and asthma sufferers, won't lead to a sneezing fit.
• Flowers: alyssum, begonia, clematis, columbine, crocus, daffodil, daisy, dusty miller, geranium, hosta, impatiens, iris, lily, narcissus, pansy, petunia, phlox, rose, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, tulips, verbena, zinnia.
• Grasses: St. Augustine (but it's not for all climates).
• Shrubs: azalea, boxwood, hibiscus, hydrangea, viburnum.
• Trees: apple, cherry, dogwood, magnolia, pear, plum.
Source: The Green Guide, www.thegreenguide.com
Compiled by digs editor Colleen McBrinn. Green Tips is a weekly feature on environmentally friendly ways of living.