From flowering cottonwood trees to new grass poking through the ground, Mother Nature's antidote to winter typically leaves Gardner sniffling, itching and wiping watery eyes in an annual battle with allergies.

"Everything beautiful we've been waiting for makes me nuts," the Draper mother said on Monday as she waited in the lobby of the Intermountain Allergy and Asthma Clinic.

Allergy sufferers across the Salt Lake Valley may be struck with symptoms later this year than in previous springs. A cold winter and cooler than usual spring have delayed budding in trees, pushing prime allergy season back a few weeks, said Duane Harris, an allergist at the Draper clinic.

Instead of pollen staring to fly in mid-February, counts didn't start showing up until the second week of March, said Harris.

"We had a cold winter and we had no thaw. [Typically] the thaw in January triggers the trees and then you need to start thinking about pollination," he said. "And that never happened this year."

Pollen is now, however, making up for lost time.

Harris' office in Draper conducts a pollen count daily and posts results at www.intermountainallergy

.com/pollen.html. On Monday, pollen counts for mulberry trees were the highest recorded so far this year, followed by sycamore, maple, oak, birch and cedar trees.

While people with tree allergies are already hurting, those with grass allergies are in for swollen eyes and runny noses in coming days, said Marsha Branan, a medical assistant and certified aerobiologist at the clinic.

"We typically should be in the grass [allergy] season by now, and we're just starting to see it," she said.

Branan said in recent years, the worst weeks for people with grass allergies are generally over by Memorial Day weekend. This year, the holiday may instead be their peak time for symptoms, she said.

And with the tree allergy season starting late, those bothered by both trees and grasses may soon get a double whammy, Branan and Harris said.

"We can see the wave [of patients] coming," Branan said.

Harris said for two-thirds of the allergy patients he sees, grass presents the most problems. ''For most people, the worst is yet to come,'' he said.

Allergy season can also be harsh on people with asthma, said Marlene Peng, an allergist at the Greenwood Health Center at the University of Utah.

Peng said about two-thirds of people diagnosed with asthma are affected by allergies as well.

"Asthma can flare up when someone has an allergic reaction," Peng said.

She said although spring allergy season, which typically starts in mid-March, is in full swing, some allergy sufferers will be afflicted until late fall.

Those who suffer from weeds, such as rag weed or sage, will likely be affected from August until the first frost. In Utah, the first frost is generally in October, but could occur as late as November, Peng said.

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How to minimize allergy symptoms

* Avoid whatever you are allergic to. If allergic to pollens, close windows at night or avoid opening them at all.

* If possible, use central air conditioning instead of a swamp cooler. A swamp cooler brings in some outside air and is only partially filtered, often ushering in pollen in the process.

* After working in the yard, change clothes and shower immediately after entering your home.

* Try over-the-counter allergy medications such as Claritin or Zyrtec. If symptoms persist, visit your physician or an allergist to try a prescription medication or an allergy shot.

Source: Allergist Duane Harris of the Intermountain Allergy and Asthma Clinic

Free screenings

An allergist from Intermountain Allergy and Asthma will offer free screenings for people with breathing problems or who think they may have asthma. About 8 percent of Utahns suffer from asthma, said Jenny Johnson, a health specialist with the Utah Department of Health asthma program.

* When: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

* Where: Fashion Place Mall Center Court in Murray.