The winner: Impatiens , 100/100. Runner-up: Zinnias at 96. Lowest upkeep of the qualifiers: Christmas Cactus at 95.
Every flower here is scored by the same 5 published rules, using one open table of 85 flowers. No taste, no sponsors: tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it.
The picks
The flowers that won The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
100 100 WINNER WINNER YFG INDEX Documented allergy tier: low · Scent as a second trigger: none · Bloom window: 6 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no flaw on record
Deer: sometimes eaten (Rutgers C) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
100 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Color range 10 / 10 5 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
95 95 LOW-EFFORT PICK LOW-EFFORT PICK YFG INDEX Christmas Cactus Documented allergy tier: low · Scent as a second trigger: none · Bloom window: 3 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no flaw on record
Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Color range 10 / 10 7 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
Also great Close behind on points. Neither beats the winner overall, but each is the better answer in a garden the winner would not suit.
96 96 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Documented allergy tier: low · Scent as a second trigger: none · Bloom window: 5 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
asks for some seasonal upkeep
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
96 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
Color range 10 / 10 9 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 6 / 10 medium
95 95 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Documented allergy tier: low · Scent as a second trigger: none · Bloom window: 3 months
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no flaw on record
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Color range 10 / 10 3 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
The protocol
How the score is built 5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Documented allergy tier 40 points insect-pollinated heavy pollen = low risk 40 Read from: allergy risk.
Scent as a second trigger 20 points strong perfume triggers many of the same readers: scentless 20 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Bloom window 20 points Read straight from the months it is in bloom.
Color range 10 points Read straight from flower color.
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 points Read straight from how much upkeep extension guides report.
Not ranked here: rated high airborne-pollen risk. Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten The 10 highest of 67 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
1 100 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Color range 10 / 10 5 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
2 96 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
Color range 10 / 10 9 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 6 / 10 medium
3 Christmas Cactus
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Color range 10 / 10 7 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
3 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Color range 10 / 10 3 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
3 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 15 / 20 light
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
Color range 10 / 10 6 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
3 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Color range 10 / 10 10 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
3 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 15 / 20 light
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
Color range 10 / 10 3 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
3 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 15 / 20 light
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Color range 10 / 10 8 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
3 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 15 / 20 light
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Color range 10 / 10 3 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
10 94 / 100 tap for the breakdown Documented allergy tier 40 / 40 low
Scent as a second trigger 20 / 20 none
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
Color range 4 / 10 1 documented
Set-and-forget upkeep 10 / 10 low
Considered, not chosen Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
rated high airborne-pollen risk Peonies, Ranunculus, Anemone and 15 more
!
A note on health.
This ranking is built from published horticultural sources on pollen and fragrance; it is not medical advice. Allergies are individual: confirm your own triggers with an allergist, and treat any plant list as a starting point, not a diagnosis.
The winner's badge Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Impatiens
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
100 100 LOW-ALLERGY PICK LOW-ALLERGY PICK YFG INDEX · WINNER How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
