Flower Allergies: The Best and Worst Flowers for Allergy Sufferers

A traditional favourite, antirrhinums, better known as snapdragons, are a lovely choice when pollen is a concern.

Their unusual, tightly closed flowers help keep pollen tucked away inside. Bumblebees are among the clever little visitors strong enough to open the flowers to reach their nectar.

Snapdragons are also brilliant in a bouquet. Their tall spires add height and a playful splash of colour, especially when arranged alongside rounder summer flowers.

They’re said to represent grace too, making them an especially thoughtful bloom to send to someone special.

Good news for peony fans. Those big, luxurious, taffeta-like flowers can be a lovely lower-pollen choice.

Peonies are primarily insect-pollinated, so their pollen is relatively heavy rather than being designed to travel freely on the wind. They have traditionally been associated with bashfulness, romance, and good fortune. And they’re so adored in the Chinese city of Luoyang that the city holds an annual festival in their honour. Frankly, a whole festival dedicated to peonies sounds like our kind of day out.

Send them when they’re in season for a glorious summer surprise.

England’s national flower and one of the world’s best-loved blooms has another string to its bow: roses are generally considered a lower-pollen option.

Their pollen tends to be relatively heavy and isn’t easily carried through the air. With so many colours and varieties to choose from, that makes roses a handy option when you want to send something meaningful while keeping pollen in mind.

Go romantic with classic red, celebrate a friend with something bright and colourful, or let your local florist work their magic with the freshest flowers available.

Elegant, intriguing and happy to steal the spotlight, orchids have a clever way of handling their pollen.

Rather than producing clouds of loose pollen, orchid pollen is bundled into sticky masses called pollinia. These are designed to hitch a ride on pollinating insects, rather than floating around the room.

That makes orchids a popular choice for people looking for low-pollen flowers. Many varieties are also only lightly scented, although this varies.

An orchid plant makes a particularly lovely gift if you want something the recipient can enjoy for longer. Just bear in mind that some people can still be sensitive to direct contact with orchid sap.

Few things say spring quite like a bunch of tulips nodding away in a vase.

Even better, tulips produce relatively little pollen, and what they do produce is heavy and sticky rather than easily carried on the wind. Their fragrance is generally mild too.

From joyful yellows to soft pinks and dramatic purples, there’s a tulip for almost every occasion. Choose a single colour for something simple and stylish or let your florist combine different shades for a proper celebration of spring.

Another lower-pollen choice is the fabulous gladiolus.

Originally from regions including southern Africa, these striking flowers are said to symbolise strength and generosity. Their pollen is thick and sticky, helping insects such as bees do the pollinating rather than relying on the wind to carry it around.

Gladioli are also impossible to ignore in a bouquet. Those towering flower spikes add height, colour and plenty of drama, so they’re a great choice when you want your gift to make an entrance.

Choose from bright pinks and oranges for a joyful celebration or softer shades for something a little more understated.

Small but seriously pretty, astrantia has delicate, star-like flower heads that add wonderful texture to a bouquet.

First cultivated in Britain centuries ago, it went on to become a cottage-garden favourite and can still be found growing wild in parts of Europe.

Astrantia is generally regarded as a lower-allergy-risk flower, making it one to consider when you’re choosing flowers for someone prone to pollen problems. It’s particularly lovely mixed among larger flowers, where those little starry heads can peek through and soften the overall design.

Big, cloud-like heads make hydrangeas a glorious way to add colour and volume to a bouquet.

Hydrangeas are predominantly insect-pollinated, so their pollen is less likely to become airborne than the fine pollen produced by wind-pollinated plants.

They come in dreamy shades of blue, pink, purple and white, and are traditionally associated with gratitude and understanding. That makes them particularly fitting when you want your flowers to say a heartfelt thank you.

And because one hydrangea head creates so much impact all by itself, you don’t need many to make an arrangement feel beautifully abundant.