Safe Sex in the Garden : And Other Propositions for an Allergy-Free World

by OGREN, LEO THOMAS

• ISBN13: 9781580083140
• ISBN10: 1580083145
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-03-01
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Summary

Residential and commercial landscapes are loaded with male-only plants since they are litter-and therefore maintenance-free. But given a choice, what would you rather do -- sweep or battle hay fever? The fact that our urban forests have been propagated with male clones is a crime on two counts: male plants are the pollen-producing offenders, and without female plants to absorb pollen, allergenic pollen counts are on the rise nationwide. Fortunately, what you plant in your own garden can make all the difference -- for you, your family, and your community. In Safe Sex in the Garden, horticulturist Thomas Leo Ogren explores this safe-sex issue, as well as other allergy-related topics like organic gardening, protecting pets against allergies, handling allergy-related stress, and global warming's effect on allergies. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Thomas Leo Ogren has a master's degree in agricultural science and is the creator of the Ogren Plant Allergy Scale (OPALS), the first plant-allergy ranking system, now used by the United States Department of Agriculture. He is a former landscape gardening instructor, nursery owner, gardening radio show host

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(9)
The Gardener Who Always Talks about Sex	10	(8)
More about Sex -- Some Terms to Learn	18	(8)
How to Tell the Boys from the Girls	26	(11)
Understanding OPALS	37	(13)
Avoiding Allergies with the Right Native Plants	50	(8)
Low-Allergy and Allergy-Free Ground Covers	58	(4)
Houseplants and Indoor Air Quality	62	(7)
Eliminating Molds and Allergy-Causing Mold Spores	69	(12)
Skin Rash Plants	81	(24)
Poisonous Plants and Poisonous Pollen	105	(17)
Animal Allergies	122	(14)
Stress and Allergies	136	(9)
Horticultural Therapy and Fen Shui Gardens	145	(6)
Going Organic--How to Get Started	151	(5)
CO2, Global Warming, and Pollen Allergies	156	(5)
Smog Trees and Super-Trees	161	(18)
Random Facts, Odds and Ends with No Particular Place to Go	179	(18)
Chapter Notes	197	(2)
Recommended Reading	199	(3)
Useful Websites	202	(3)
Index	205	(8)
About the Author	213