They're widely used on streetscapes due to their drought tolerance, and they look great right? I have the red ones all over as well, a nice mix of the white and red I guess.
I feel sorry for people to suffer with bad hay fever. My dad used to get it really badly and I never did...Then I started getting it and still do a little, but it's very mild and rarely causes me too many issue. Spring is a great time...but yep, hay fever sufferers will almost certainly disagree.