If your idea of starting Valentine’s Day is giving your sweetheart a bouquet of flowers, you may first want to check if she would actually be happy with it.
While flowers are one of the best ways to express your love, they may prove to be the worst gift if she is an allergy sufferer. Flowers are a breeding house of loose pollen that can send her eyes itching, nose twitching or, in extreme circumstances, into a sneeze fest. You don’t want to toss the evening with this risk, do you?
To make sure this doesn’t happen, we’ve compiled a list of allergy-friendly flowers and some that you should avoid using in your bouquet.
Allergy-Friendly Flowers
Flowers that produce very little or no pollen are the ones to pick. These include:
1. Roses
There’s a rose for every emotion, whether it’s red for love, yellow for friendship or white for good health. Roses that are still in a budding stage or have just bloomed should make it to the perfect Valentine bouquet. You may want to leave out the fragrant ones, as the smell is often artificially enhanced by florists, triggering allergies.
2. Lilies
While regular lilies do have pollen, Asiatic lilies and tiger lilies look similarly pretty but do not have anthers. They come in gorgeous shades of pink, red and orange, and are a soothing treat for sore eyes. Leave out Oriental lilies such as Stargazers, as they have a strong fragrance which may trigger headaches.
3. Hydrangeas
They come in a variety of colors such as pink, white, blue and even purple. A great choice for allergy sufferers, ask your florist to customize a beautiful bouquet by combining some hydrangeas and lilies.
4. Geranium
Along with an abundance of green foliage, this hardy twig comes in pink, bright blue and magenta. And yes, it has no pollen.
5. Orchids
They only contain a tiny amount of pollen and therefore you can happily go about buying a pretty looking bouquet for your lady love. Potted orchids are an excellent choice, as they can last for a longer time.
6. Chrysanthemums
Another Valentine bloom that will put a smile on your lady’s face is the chrysanthemum. New hybridized versions produce very little pollen as petals replace stamens.
Spring bulbs such as crocus, daffodils, hyacinth and tulips also have very little pollen and can make for a good bouquet if you’re lucky to find some. Begonias, dahlias, asters, carnations, petunia, iris and pansies are other popular choices.
Flowers To Avoid
Don’t treat your Valentine with these flowers, as they can often trigger an allergy.
- Daisies
- Honeysuckle
- Goldenrod
- Zinnias
- Jasmine
- Chamomile
*Image courtesy: Valentine’s Day/Facebook
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