While the nice and sunny weather, the newborn animals and the blossoming flowers make a lot of people very happy during spring, there is also a group of people preferring to stay indoors during this time of year. Pollen intolerance or allergy can cause symptoms such as watery eyes, a blocked nose, headaches or a sore or itching throat. People suffering from hay fever, might think they cannot handle any flower at all, but there are flowers low in pollens or that don't spread their pollens through the air. In this article we show that there is a flower for just about anybody and what flowers people with allergies typically can (and cannot) handle.
Hay fever friendly flowers
Choose flowers that are pollinated by birds and insects rather than the wind. Plants pollinated by wind, release millions of tiny pollen grains. Which can trigger (for those who suffer from hay-fever) symptoms such as watery eyes, sneezing, itchy throat and a runny nose. When flowers and plants are pollinated by birds and insects, it means that their pollen is sticky and/or too heavy to fly through the air.
Not sure what flowers to choose in your anti-allergenic bouquet? There is a general rule that the bigger and showier the flower is, the more chance there is to trigger an allergic reaction. In other words, steer clear from these flowers if you suffer from hay fever.
But fortunately there are a large number of flowers to choose from that are (relatively) safe for people suffering from hay-fever. 
1. Roses
There is no flower that is nearly as famous as the rose and they exist in all kinds op shapes and sizes: small, big, duo-coloured, with or without thorns, multiple buds, sleek or extravagant looks: the rose has it all. And good news for hay fever sufferers! The rose only releases small amounts of pollen into the air. If you want to be extremely sure not to trigger any allergic reactions: choose a tight-budded variety so there is a minimum chance of pollen spreading around. There are some exceptions, although we are very sorry to break this news to you - stay away from scented varieties. Sorry!
2. Peonies
We just told you about the general rule - the bigger and showier flowers are, the bigger and showier your allergies will be. But Peonies are an exception to this rule. Just like Roses, Peonies don't spread their pollens through the air. They depend on birds and insects for pollination. Peonies are therefore a perfect addition to an anti-allergenic bouquet!
Our Peony assortment.
3. Hydrangea
The big and voluminous globes of the Hydrangea makes everybody happy, including those who have hay fever symptoms. Hydrangea is insect pollinated and therefore a 'safe' flower. Enjoy these big floral bulbs, as much as you want this spring and all the other seasons of the year.
Our Hydrangea assortment.
4. Antirrhinum
Surprisingly enough, this Tall, Mediterranean flower, has a very minimum release of pollen. This is due to the tightly closed buds. Antirrhinum (also known as snapdragon) looks absolutely gorgeous in a field bouquet, or just put a bunch of them together in a tall vase.
Our Antirrhinum assortment.
5. Dianthus
With Dianthus, you don't have to worry too much about severe allergic reactions. These beautiful flowers with their ruffled blooms are great for adding texture to your bouquet, and probably best of all: they come in a wide colour range.
Our Dianthus assortment.
Other relatively safe flowers:
- Sunflowers: There are certain types of sunflowers that are hypoallergenic. The pollens of these flowers are too big and heavy to fly through the air. But if you suffer from hay fever, you probably still shouldn’t stick your nose into this flower – because you will definitely regret doing this. Regular sunflowers are quite dangerous for people with allergies, so make sure you have this special variety!
- Tulips: The petals of the Tulip are tightly stacked together, which prevents pollen from spreading through the wind and therefore triggering an allergic reaction.
- Hibiscus: These flowers produce very heavy pollens, which are therefore not airborne.
Steer clear from these flowers:
- Mimosa: This delightful yellow flower is gorgeous, but unfortunately quite the airborne pollen-bomb.
- Lilies: Remember the general rule? This flower is very big and very showy: a no-go for people with hay-fever related allergies. Still want to use lilies in your bouquet? Some people advice to cut out the stamen and therefore remove the pollen from this flower. But we would rather not take any risks.
- If you suffer from hay fever it is generally a good idea to stay away from members of the Asteraceae family, this includes flowers such as Dahlia's and Asters.
- Flowers with heavy scents are known to cause at least some irritation, so keep this in mind.
In this video we show how to incorporate these hay fever friendly flowers into a beautiful bouquet:
An allergy can differ from person to person. Meaning that if someone is particularly allergic to a certain species, doesn’t mean another person will have the exact same reaction. This article is purely meant to give you an idea on what flowers people with allergies should, generally speaking, avoid and what flowers are usually fine.
