Happy Spring! Let's talk Fragrance

This morning my favorite weather man Paul Conrad was on Michigan Avenue celebrating the first day of Spring.  He was wearing a lamb suit and later he wore a couple others.  It was an amusing way to start a Monday!  He also mentioned that it was National Fragrance Day. 

Fragrance perfume

Over the weekend, I discovered this great recipe for making your own Rose perfume, so to celebrate Spring here is a rose fragrance recipe to try:

Rose Petal Perfume

3 oz. vodka

1 Tbls. Rosewater

1 cup scented rose petals

2 vanilla pods

10 drops oil of roses

10 drops petrigrain oil

5 drops ylang-ylang

Directions:

Measure out the vodka and the scented rose petals or pull the petals off the rose heads if the are whole flower heads.

Lightly crush the vanilla pods amend steep them with the rose petals in the vodka.  Cover and leave for a week

Strain the vodka and add the rosewater.  Stir very well.

Add the drops of essential oil stirring constantly.  Bottle and leave to mature for four weeks.  Strain again through filter paper and finally bottle for use.

Fragrance Gardens

My love of herbs is only enhanced by their magical scents.  I love to touch and shape and even rub the leaves between my fingers to release the smells into the air.  As a result I have planted scented geraniums in terra cotta pots and placed them near the entrance to my home.  You would brush them as you entered releasing the scent and bringing it into the house with you.  Keeping in mind my penchant for theme gardens, I pulled together this list of plants for a fragrance container you can put on your patio for scent and beauty. 

• Annuals and Tender Perennials
• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
• Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)



Pineapple Sage

• Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)
• Scented geraniums (Pelegoniums)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

·         Perennials

• Lemon or Lavender Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
• Violet (Viola odorata)
• Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus).

·         Scented varieties of both

o    lemon verbena

o    rose-scented geranium,

o    English lavender (L. angustifolia)

o    French lavender (L. dentata),

o     peppermint (Mentha piperita)

o    basil (Ocimum basilicum)

o    Sage (Salvia officinalis)

o    fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

o    chamomile

References:

Fragrance in Bloom the Scented Garden throughout the Year by Anne Lovejoy

The Little Book of Scented Geraniums by Adelma Simmons

The Aromatherapy Garden by Julia Lawless