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| I believe the following fragrances were imprinted on my brain when I was kid wandering in my grandmothers garden and have remained the fragrances by which I judge all others:
lilacs
There are lots of other flowers I like to smell, but every year I look forward to the ones above. I suspect that will never change. Your top four? Kevin |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Sat, Jul 28, 12 at 14:02
| Honeysuckle Mock Orange 'Belle Etoile' Lilacs Sweet Peas Annette |
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| Kevin, I think, like you, my favorites are from childhood: lily of the valley (my grandmother's yard) Hmm, can't think of a truly favorite 4th to round out the group, but I suppose I can always throw roses in there, lol. Can't go wrong with roses! Although I do like phlox also... Dee |
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| My favorite scent, I think, is shared by two very different flowers which smell the same, Ephiphyllum oxypetalum, the "Queen of the Night" or Night Blooming Cereus (which is is NOT) and the Peacock or Abyssinian or Sweet Glad, Acidanthera bicolor. |
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| There are so many flower fragrances that I enjoy but my favorites are, in no particular order: Lilies Many of these are scents remembered from childhood. |
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| There are so many scents I enjoy, but these are my top: * Oriental lily I also love the scent of various herbs and conifers (e.g. pine, spruce) |
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| I love the smell of Bee Balm. |
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| Monarda fistulosa x tetraploid(it has exactly the same smell as Dictamnus albus) Matthiola bicornis Narcissus poeticus Some bearded Irises. |
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| Many flower scents I find to be unpleasant/uncomfortable, either too strong or causing allergies. However, I love the scent of Nicotiana which wafts through the garden and house in the evenings starting around now and lasting until hard frost. I also love the scent of old-fashioned roses like Rugosas. |
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| My four from childhood, too: Lilac honeysuckle jasmine lily Also, from childhood-hyacinth |
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| I forgot about apple blossoms. ponder, ponder, ponder..... They were and are a fav, but my list still stands. Kevin |
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- Posted by mistascott 7A (My Page) on Sat, Jul 28, 12 at 19:43
| Gardenia is the winner by far for me. Absolutely intoxicating fragrance. |
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- Posted by linlily z5/6PA (westmay2@verizon.net) on Sat, Jul 28, 12 at 20:40
| I enjoy these every year in my garden: Lilac Lavender Butterfly Bushes Some fragrant daylilies Echinacea Paradoxa - smells like spice to me Rugosa Roses Linda |
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- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Sat, Jul 28, 12 at 21:01
| Can I add one more, Pinks, how could I not have thought of those, that is the fragrance I remember most from my childhood. Annette |
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| I guess we all like the same fragrance especially us snowbirds/ -Mock Orange -lily of the valley (my grandmother's yard) -honeysuckle (growing on a fence in the back alley) -lilacs (again, in the back alley, a HUGE shrub of them) I will add |
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- Posted by river_crossroads 8b Central Louisiana (My Page) on Sat, Jul 28, 12 at 21:16
| Gardenia (agree with mistascott above) Echinacea purpurea (the old fashioned ones, extremely sweet scent) Hosta 'Abiqua Ambrosia' (like gardenia but a lighter fragrance) Lantana (the whole bush) |
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| My absolute favorite is Jasmine Sambac which used to grow in our garden at home! Mock oranges because they remind me of Jasmine. Lilacs. Lemon thyme (not technically a flower I guess). |
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| Oh geez, how could I forget hyacinths?! Okay, move over roses, hyacinths is my fourth choice! Dee P.S. I have to put a plug in for marigolds. I'm fairly certain no one will pick them as a favorite - I don't know if I would even have them in my top half dozen - but I do like the smell of them and just wanted to give them a mention! They're definitely not one of those sniff-and-be-transported-into-bliss flowers, but they do have a somewhat unique, enjoyable scent. |
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| diggerdee,.... marigolds,,,,, nope. lol |
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| Lilac, also from childhood, spring at last in South Dakota Phlox Star jasmine, lost my jasmine this past winter, :( Alyssum Actaea I listed five as you added another, Kevin. |
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- Posted by sandyslopes UT zone 5 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 2:18
| From childhood: Orange blossoms are wonderful. I walked through orange groves on the way home from school. Roses that had that great rose fragrance that is so often missing in the newer cultivars. Now I enjoy lilacs, peonies, and the other day I noticed my tall phlox has a beautiful fragrance. |
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- Posted by sweet_betsy z7 No AL USA (My Page) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 6:52
| Magnolia above all else Brugmansia Four O'Clocks Carolina Allspice |
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| Oh yes, hyacinths and mock orange! However these were kind of latecomers to my childhood brain. Hyacinths in particular were rather an exotic where I grew up. They really weren't considered all that hardy, so not that many people grew them. Dee - I agree with your comment about marigolds. They have a fragrance I wouldn't consider perfume-worthy, but there's just something about it I like. Again, I think they conjure up lots of childhood memories. Kevin |
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- Posted by wildflower3 5/6 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 8:18
| Lilac Sweetpea Mockorange and, strangely enough, Marigold as it reminds me of carefree childhood days. |
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- Posted by wildflower3 5/6 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 8:19
| Lilac Sweetpea Mockorange and, strangely enough, Marigold as it reminds me of carefree childhood days. |
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- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 9:54
| This thread has stirred fond memories of my childhood, my first list is one of favorite fragrances in my garden now. Favorite fragrances from my childhood would be the scent of crabapple blossoms from the ancient tree outside my bedroom window, Pinks especially Mrs. Sinkins, Romneya coulteri the california poppy tree beside our front porch and the patch of very fragrant violets almost hidden under an old Deutzia bush in a side garden. There are a couple more but those are the 4 that first came to mind. Annette |
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- Posted by pam_whitbyon 6 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 23:12
| Freesia !!!!! all time favorite Lily of the Valley Lilacs Peonies Heliotrope Magnolia Carnation/pinks Tea rose |
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- Posted by linlily z5/6PA (westmay2@verizon.net) on Sun, Jul 29, 12 at 23:41
| Thanks for reminder marquest and aftermidnight. I forgot about the fragrant dianthus-pinks- and some of the hostas. I also have a potted Star Jasmine that spends the winter in the garage and blooms in late spring and summer when we bring it outside again. I don't grow Lily of the Valley at this house but have before and it's wonderful. I have cologne that is Lily of the Valley and love it. And shame on me, I forgot my Mock Orange. |
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| Peony Buddleia Agastache Lavender I grew up as a city kid so no grandma garden memories for me! |
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| Peonies can mean many things as far as fragrances are concerned. Some are straightforward unpleasant. I have some tree peonies that have nauseating smell(something rotten). |
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| That's interesting that so many people remember fragrances from childhood, I don't remember any. I like the fragrance of shrub honeysuckle, but remove them - they along with vine honeysuckle Lonicera japonica are extremely invasive, not all things from childhood are good. My favorites, of the fragrant plants I grow here in zone 5, in no particular order: Hyacinthus orientalis - have to buy a pot or 2 of Hyacinth every Spring for the kitchen, then plant in garden |
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| I haven't seen anyone mention Osmanthus fragrans, one of my favorites. |
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- Posted by mistascott 7A (My Page) on Mon, Jul 30, 12 at 13:19
| Some of the stuff in bloom now around here that smells nice: Clethra (summersweet) -- permeates the garden |
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| wieslaw - I agree, not all peonies are created equal and trying to determine the "true peony scent" would be next to impossible. In my mind at least, when I think of the true peony scent, I think of something like Festiva Maxima or Sweet Sixteen. Now that I think of it, in my limited experience, the truest peony scent seems to appear in double white or very pale pink double varieties (not the singles). Again - in my limited experience. I don't think I've ever smelled a peony I didn't like, but an awful lot of them are not very peony-like. Vivid Rose is too rose for me, but I guess the name should have been a clue. Kevin |
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- Posted by pam_whitbyon 6 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 30, 12 at 22:32
| I forgot this awesome scent - Hosta Guacamole. The flowers are bigger than many Hosta flowers too, and the scent is sweet, reminds me of soap or handcream. I feel lucky because I'm one of those people who cuts hosta flowers off fairly quickly, and laziness got the better of me with the Guack! The scent can be nicely overpowering at night, too. |
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| About half my peonies are very fragrant, like Festiva maxima, Duchess de Nemours, and a pink noid, and half are not very or not at all fragrant. Yes a huge difference! I didn't purchase any of them however, they were left behind by the previous owner, otherwise they would all be fragrant. Double peonies are so high maintenance, and floppy, that a non-fragrant one is hardly worth growing. |
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- Posted by kimka z6b (jkkaplan@erols.com) on Tue, Jul 31, 12 at 10:49
| Stocks, daffodils,lemon balm (although keep it in a pot), and daphne, haven't been listed yet and are my favorites. And I fully go along with mockorange, jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata), Carolina allspice Athens, brugmansia, and Jasmine sambac. |
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| I considered hosta Guacamole also when I made my list. It is indeed a heavenly fragrance, and I planted mine close to a walkway to be enjoyed. It didn't quite make my top four list, though - but would probably make a top ten! Dee |
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| auriculas, jonquilla narcissus japanese honeysuckle sarcococca |
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- Posted by socks12345 Zone 9 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 31, 12 at 21:56
| Did we mention any Hawaiian flowers yet? Pikake and tuberose are wonderful. Like the smell of tomato leaves when you brush them with your hand, marigolds remind me of summer even though the fragrance is not very pleasant. |
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| Don't think anyone has mentioned Korean Spice Viburnum - I like to stand with my nose in the one beside our deck and imagine how rich I would be if only I could put that in a bottle! Jan |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Wed, Aug 1, 12 at 11:37
| I can't keep the list down to four From my childhood in Arizona: From my years as a florist From my current garden |
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| Oriental Lilies Coneflowers |
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| My first brugmansia bloom this year is wonderful--have to walk out to the garden in the evening just to breathe in the fragrance. |
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