TOW surprise in fragrant bulbs

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Thu, 15 Apr 2004 16:21:30 PDT
Diane Whitehead wondered if some fragrances are unpleasant only when 
concentrated. Her strawberry fragrance may be reacting to the heat of her 
closed car -- chilled strawberries have little aroma, so it's best to bring 
them to room temperature before serving. As to whether some people can't 
smell certain scents, probably true, since some people can't detect certain 
tastes as well as others. Also, I understand that there are some scents 
that one can smell for only a short time, and then one ceases to "notice" 
them. An example is said to be violets, and I think it's true, because I 
have a violet-scented perfume called 1000 de Patou that becomes much more 
subtle quite quickly. I think that the flowers of Ipheion 'Froyle Mill' are 
somewhat violet-scented, even though the bulbs smell like slightly rotten 
garlic. Another light, wonderful fragrance is that of certain tulips -- red 
cultivars especially.

Many of the plants related to lily of the valley (Convallariaceae) share 
its delicate and lovely scent, including our native Smilacina racemosa 
subsp. occidentalis, a fine cut flower as well as a perfect border plant.

My favorite fragrance in the garden right now is a shrub, the well-named 
Jasminum fragrantissimum (evergreen Italian jasmine), which unfortunately 
does not last long when cut.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA



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