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Ah the power of scent. What sense conjures up more emotion, more memories and more personal associations than scent? I find it fascinating that throughout our lifetime we collect ‘scent samples’ in our minds and associate them with memories, people and places. Even years later when we smell this same scent we can still have a strong emotional reaction to this scent and be transported back to the time when we first smelled it. Planting scented flowers in the garden is a wonderful way of being reminded every day of the fascinating sense of smell and allows you to make new personal scent memories from your own garden.
Anyone that has ever smelled the Rosa × centifolia will understand why it’s my all-time favourite plant for the scented garden. The aroma is truly decadent and this is the rose which many perfumes are created from including the Rose collection from L’Occitane. This flower is also known as ‘The Queen of Flowers’ and in ancient times, Mediterranean women would steep rose petals in oils to perfume their skin with, as a way to radiate beauty and femininity. At L’Occitane Rosa Centifolia is obtained from Grasse using an exclusive technique that fuses modernity with tradition and captures this amazing rose which traditionally blooms in the beautiful landscape of the Provence.
"This is my go-to scent for everyday. It’s super fresh and invigorating and smells so clean. It contains the Lippia Citriodora which gives it its distinctive citrusy scent."
"These two products are perfect together. There’s something really special about the simplicity of this rose scent and that’s because it literally contains Rosa Centifolia."
"The home collection by L’Occitane has some beautiful products. This one has been infused with many botanical perfume favourites. It has a blend of lavender, sweet orange, geranium, bergamot and mandarin."
The first thing I would consider when planting a L’Occitane inspired perfume garden is location. The location of your planted specimens will dictate how often and at what times of the day you will experience the scent. For example, if there is a social place you like to have friends over, or a space where you lie and relax like a hammock or a bench in the garden, then perhaps consider planting a scented shrub such as the cabbage rose or the sweetly scented Philadelphus near this area. These highly scented shrubs will be a wonderful one for relaxing and you will come to associate this scent with relaxation and your own space.
Another tip is if you have a south facing balcony or even a sunny windowsill, consider some form of citrus tree. These have a stunningly strong scent and anyone that’s ever smelled one knows the scent is almost intoxicating and so quintessentially Mediterranean. If you are lucky enough to have a glasshouse or conservatory then a citrus tree- whether orange, lemon, lime or bitter orange is a wonderful choice for a container.
Scent is very personal and scientists have found that smelling the right scents can enhance our mood and literally, make us more happy. An example is how lavender has a calming effect on our psyche and peppermint is enlivening and boosts our mood.
Since our favourite scents vary from person to person the best advice here is to choose a plant- and itss cent-which makes you happy. Choose a plant for the scent that reminds you of something good or choose your favouote scent because it simply makes you feel great. Lilacs, jasmine, citrus, lavender, sweet pea (see image) , dianthus, lily and geranium for example are some firm favourites. I think the key here is to get lots and lots of it and show it off to its fullest. A pergola covered in Jasmine, a border exploding with lavender or a series of balcony containers overspilling with cinnamon scented dianthus- the key is to go wild and don’t be afraid of being bold with quantity.