IN-PERSON MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Visitor’s Center Auditorium

4730 Crystal Springs Dr

Los Angeles, CA 90027

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Monday, Oct 19, 2026

9:15 A.M. - 12:45 P.M.

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Allergy-free Gardening and

Gardening with Prisoners
Tom Ogren

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Tom Ogren taught 12 years at the CA Youth Authority (maximum security prison for kids 15-25) and developed the landscape gardening program there with his wards. Tom is the creator of OPALS (Ogren Plant Allergy Scale), used since 1999 by the USDA to rank the allergy potential of entire cities, and the author of Allergy-free Gardening. He’s a former nursery owner, gardening radio show host, and the author of four books on gardening and allergies.
As our daily exposure to irritating airborne toxins has increased exponentially over the past sixty years, susceptibility to allergies and asthma has grown to epidemic levels.

Horticulturist Thomas Ogren reveals the role that urban landscaping plays in this health crisis. His research shows that our contact with allergens has skyrocketed due to short-sighted landscaping choices - specifically, the disproportionate cultivation of all-male “litter-free” plants, which bear no fruit but produce overwhelming amounts of pollen. Tom will talk about how you can reduce the allergy potential in your own garden. He’ll also discuss how he built the landscape gardening department at the CA Youth Authority with his students, the young prisoners.

allergyfree-gardening.com