HelpfulGardener.com

Hi,

Last year we planted pennisetum fountain grass in our front garden. Now my neighbour is complaining that she can't stand to be in her own front garden because of that plant and gets allergy reactions and wants us to remove it.

I'm not sure if I can believe her since the plant in question is not blooming right now (not untill september will the pollen be visible). Also, we live nearby a forest and behind our houses are a lot of weeds... So, I have no idea how she can even start to tell that the cause of her allergies are the fountain grass in front of my garden.
Also, I have a lot of allergies myself and I go to a physician for this, and he tells me that pollen are all over at certain periods of the year, so isn't it hard to contain pollen of fountain grass (3 x "1 meter by 1 meter") in the front garden?

How plausible do you guys think this story is?

One plant does not make a pollen sufferer. Don't know where you hang your hat, but in my neck of the woods the pollen count is off the charts this year. People who've never had allergies are getting hit this year due to the very high count.

Thanks for your reply and sane answer. I'm from belgium. We've had a lot of pollen consecutively for a few years now.
I am on good terms with my neighbours, but I'm not planning on removing the plants untill I have some proof...

I've heard people say they are allergic to a specific outdoor plant. While this might hold true, they are more than likely allergic to the season that, that plant actually blooms.

There are many varieties of fountain grass so I don't know which one you have. Below are sites that have evaluated the risk potential of fountain grass. There are some others for other specific cultivars

What they do have in common is the weed risk assessment is High. So it is considered highly invasive. Fountain grass is native to Africa, so it may be more weedy in like environments. In Hawaii it was imported as an ornamental plant and as cattle feed and is now a very invasive weed that is difficult to eradicate. It seeds spring through summer here.

The second link is the Hawaii link for pennisetun setaceum specifically that documents the environmental risks for this particular species. The allergen risk for this plant was low. However, that does not mean that no one could be allergic to it. It just means that it is not a strong allergen for most people.

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/asset ... ssment.pdf
https://www.hear.org/pier/wra/pacific/pe ... tmlwra.htm