By Matt Gleason, Tulsa World, Okla.
May 12–Patricia Sutton’s prize-winning African violet, a tiny little thing resplendent in purple flowers, stays mostly out of sight in a converted pantry awaiting its next showing.
Although it’s kind on the eyes, that African violet produces pollen, which is among the allergens that make Sutton’s eyes water, cause sneezing fits and even leave her broken out in hives.
To combat those symptoms, the Tulsa Garden Club president gives herself allergy shots every Monday.
It’s the price the Tulsa woman pays for growing prize-winning African violets. And it’s the price she pays for being able to venture into her backyard garden in a city the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America named the worst in the nation for those with spring allergies.
“I never let it interfere,” Sutton said of her allergies. “I just never let it interfere.”
However, on a recent afternoon, the African violet-lover sat on her living room couch and said even though she never misses an allergy shot, she often stays inside because her allergies can still make her sneeze and suffer watery eyes.
“It’s better this year,” she said. “It’s better, but it is still there.”
If Sutton didn’t have allergies, she would be outside more often, she said, tending to her garden and simply enjoying the outdoors.
Instead, she keeps busy inside. For instance, she is vigilant about dusting away the allergenic particles that so trouble her. As for ridding pollen from her home for good, which would mean banishing her African violets, Sutton said, “I would not give them up.”
Dr. Warren V. Filley, an Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic allergist, couldn’t tend to his peony, lilac and crinum lily, nor his 60 roses bushes, among the other colorful additions to his Edmond garden, if it weren’t for his allergy shots
“The shots make my allergies mild,” he said, “and then the medicines work on mild disease. Therefore, I’m pretty much a happy camper.”
Filley lives just outside of Oklahoma City, which is among the top 25 worst cities in the nation for those with asthma according to the AAFA. Oklahoma City ranked No. 24 and Tulsa came in at No. 25.
In the OAAC’s spring newsletter — found online at www.oklahomaallergy.com — the former president of the Oklahoma Horticultural Society provided a list of trouble-free shrubs, flowers, trees and ground cover for those with allergies.
Although Filley tames his own garden the best he can, he said, “It’s very difficult to just go out in the yard and enjoy things when the trees are pollinating or the grass is pollinating.”
Beyond wearing gloves, Filley said he wears a mask when he does “heavy work” in the garden, such as mowing the grass, which aerosolizes pollen and mold, or working with compost.
Among the various techniques Filley recommends for reducing allergy symptoms is to make sure, after you finish your garden chores, to immediately wash your work clothes. Filley also uses a saltwater rinse to flush out his nose after a long day in the garden.
Like the local African violet-lover, Filley will do whatever he can to battle his allergies so he can enjoy his allergen-filled hobby.
On a recent weekend, Filley said he spent the entire Saturday and Sunday — “I skipped church. I sinned” — because it was such a “beautiful day.”
“For me, it’s therapy,” he said of gardening. “It’s meditation. It’s being out there communing with nature. And it’s just a lot of fun.”
——
Matt Gleason 581-8473 [email protected]
—–
Copyright (c) 2007, Tulsa World, Okla.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Comments