• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

How to Make a Fragrant Bouquet

Posted by Angela on 15 May 2017 25 Comments

spring bouquet by Justin Waddell of Bloke Botanical, detail

For me, spring spells time to cut back on burning scented candles and incense and to ramp up the fresh flowers. I can snip a few roses here and whack down some lilacs there with the best of them, but I wanted an expert’s opinion on how to assemble a bouquet that would please a hardcore fragrance addict.

So I asked Justin Waddell, owner of Bloke Botanical, for advice. As he pulled together the simple-yet-knockout scented bouquet in the photo above (and see full view below), we talked flowers. Designing a magnificent bouquet has to do with a lot more than scent, of course. But, sticking to aroma, here’s what I learned:

spring bouquet by Justin Waddell of Bloke Botanical

Buy local and in season. This was Justin’s main piece of advice. If you insist on peonies in December, they’ll come from a hothouse where they’re bred for disease resistance, uniformity, and ability to ship well. Not for scent. In short, they’re Stepford blooms. A locally grown flower — like a basket of strawberries from a nearby farmer or a peach from a backyard tree — doesn’t have to stand up to two weeks in a refrigerated railway car. If you shop for local flowers, you can find glorious, tender blooms like bearded iris, garden roses, and sweet peas. Every season has something to offer, whether it’s forced hyacinth and narcissus in December, fruit tree branches and daphne in February, or freesia and old-fashioned peonies in May.

It’s not just about the flowers. Flowers can be sweet, and, in the case of some oriental lilies, potent enough to clear a ballroom. Sometimes the greenery smells better than the flowers. At the least, it can add balance. For instance, a sprig of scented geranium takes the preciousness out of a pink bouquet with its herbal hit of rose, mint, lemon, or even chocolate. Justin says they’re wonderful in bridal bouquets. Sarah Jane, one of Bloke’s team, says cedar can smell like anything from pine to maple syrup. Solomon’s Seal smells like honeysuckle; boronia is lemony; and eristomen is piney. Sarcococca leaves remind Justin of lily of the valley.

Consider less traditional scented flowers. When Justin told me he loves to plunge his nose into a bouquet of marigolds, I knew he understood the power of ugly gorgeousness that many perfume enthusiasts revere. Sure, gardenias and tuberoses are wonderful, but daffodils have an odd but alluring scent, too. Currant branches can be forced for a delicious fruity fragrance with a tinge of ammonia. “Smell your way around your yard,” Justin says. Don’t get trapped into thinking a bouquet is limited to particular flowers. Smell your shrubs, grasses, and trees.

Don’t forget about herbs. Sage lasts a long time when cut and placed in water, and its texture and dusty color are wonderful in bouquets. Rosemary, oregano, basil, lovage, and bay are great in bouquets, too. And, hey, you can recycle them into dinner.

Bloke Botanical, Portland

For longevity, change water, cut stems, and keep out of direct light. Bacteria is the main bouquet killer, and bacteria breeds in dirty, warm water. To make your bouquet last, trim its stems every two to three days, change the vase’s water, and keep the bouquet out of the window.

In my backyard, I have the usual lilacs, roses, and peonies (and weeds). But that's not all. I'm thinking about a nosegay of Mme Isaac Pereire roses with a few stems of oregano, some lemon balm, and a twig of bay. I can almost smell it now.

Note: top image [shown cropped and then in full] is courtesy of Justin Waddell of Bloke Botanical. Lower image shows the Bloke pop-up at Cargo in Portland and was taken by the author.

More flowers...

Osmanthus: The Scent of Happiness ~ out of the bottle
Lavender for Days ~ Sequim Lavender Festival 2011
Goodbye Lilacs (and Musk and Lemon and Mint…)
Do-It-Yourself Lavender Floral Water ~ scented body products

Filed Under: on another subject

Advertisement


25 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Rappleyea says:
    15 May 2017 at 2:14 pm

    What a beautiful post! Great bouquets and ideas. I wish we had “smell-o-vision”! :-)

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      15 May 2017 at 3:25 pm

      Talking with Justin really inspired me, too! I’m planning on spending some time in the yard today to see what I can rustle up for a bouquet.

      Log in to Reply
  2. galbanumgal says:
    15 May 2017 at 2:21 pm

    That bouquet is absolutely gorge. Like the idea of cedar. Sometimes I’ll add a judicious stalk of eucalyptus (not everyone loves it)

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      15 May 2017 at 3:26 pm

      Eucalyptus is so pretty, too! I have a huge bay tree in my yard, and I’m planning on raiding it for bouquet material.

      Log in to Reply
  3. Coumarin says:
    15 May 2017 at 4:22 pm

    I think I’ve said it here before but my idea of living in luxury is having fresh flowers every week. I’ve slacked off recently but I love flowers in my house! And yes, buy local as often as possible!

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      15 May 2017 at 5:59 pm

      How nice! It’s great to have an elaborate bouquet, but even a few lilies of the valley next to the bed are wonderful.

      Log in to Reply
  4. ggperfume says:
    15 May 2017 at 7:49 pm

    Wonderful topic for a post, Angela! Right now I don’t want to bring anything indoors for fear it will just aggravate my hay fever, but as soon as the pollen abates, I’ll look around with an enquiring eye and nose for attractive candidates for bouquets.

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      15 May 2017 at 10:42 pm

      It’s so nice to have flowers in the house! I really think it changes a whole home’s feel to have something living inside (besides us, of course).

      Log in to Reply
  5. hajusuuri says:
    15 May 2017 at 8:56 pm

    Very good advice! Do you find florists to be open to specific requests (to follow the advice above) or are they artists who must have the flexibility to choose their own materials?

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      15 May 2017 at 10:43 pm

      I think many florists are interested in making a buck and will do what you want, if you insist. But if, say, you knew you wanted something pink and scented, I bet a good florist could make something up that would surprise you.

      Log in to Reply
  6. nozknoz says:
    15 May 2017 at 11:00 pm

    What a delightful and inspiring idea for a spring post, Angela! Love the bouquet that Justin Waddell did, too.

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      15 May 2017 at 11:04 pm

      I hope that means you’ll find a few spring blooms to add some loveliness to your home!

      Log in to Reply
  7. Meg O. says:
    16 May 2017 at 8:22 am

    I love this! And what a gorgeous bouquet! I’m a lifelong (since adulthood, at least) renter, and when the place I’m in has blooms onsite (I’ve rented some houses where I was able to care for nicely-planted yards), I’ve loved cutting a few lilacs or peonies to place around my workspace, the kitchen, and so on. I also lived near an all-local farmers market for a year, and it was so wonderful for getting inexpensive fresh blooms each week!

    The one thing I wanted to add as a previously-unknowing pet owner: make sure if you have furry ones, that the plants or blooms you bring in aren’t toxic to them. A friend gave me a gorgeous, fragrant, amazing lily one year. I was in heaven with the scent. But my cat started having odd symptoms, and I found that even the pollen (if they lick surfaces or if it falls in their water) can be highly poisonous to them. I’m sure some animals know not to eat what’s poisonous…but mine do not (and pollen in the water isn’t even fair). Kitty is just fine now, but the lily had to GTHO immediately!

    Log in to Reply
    • LizzieB says:
      16 May 2017 at 10:22 am

      I love the scent of lilies, and I love the look of amaryllis and pointsettia at Christmas. All are verboten in our house because of the cats. ????

      Log in to Reply
      • Angela says:
        16 May 2017 at 10:59 am

        Some cats are real chewers. I used to have a cat who dragged tulips around the house. I knew that poinsettias were poisonous, but amaryllis, too? Thanks for the warning!

        Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      16 May 2017 at 10:58 am

      Thank you for the warning! I had no idea that lily pollen could be poisonous. I’ve always snipped off the tips of the stamens because the pollen stains, and now I’m extra glad that I did. Thank goodness your cat is safe.

      Log in to Reply
  8. Petunia says:
    16 May 2017 at 9:03 am

    Lovely post Angela! Just this week, my husband picked a beautiful bouquet of white lilacs mixed with stems from our pink kwanzan cherry tree. It smells heavenly.

    Log in to Reply
    • LizzieB says:
      16 May 2017 at 10:22 am

      White lilacs are the holy grail of scents to me…

      Log in to Reply
      • Angela says:
        16 May 2017 at 11:00 am

        The flowers are edible, too! My neighbor has one that tastes faintly of vanilla.

        Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      16 May 2017 at 10:59 am

      I can practically smell it now! It sounds gorgeous.

      Log in to Reply
  9. LizzieB says:
    16 May 2017 at 10:11 am

    What a great post. Oh how I miss the days when I could head to the flower market early Sat morning…just to those who sold to public. I didn’t get much in the way of scent usually. I’d often buy a stem of orchids because they’d last forever, and I loved the cool green. They were surprisingly affordable.

    My wedding bouquet was not what I had always thought it would be…I simply picked flowers from a local florist’s huge garden. I remember walking around and pointing out roses, etc that I liked. Wish I’d seen this post, so I could have asked about scents rather than just visual.

    Unfortunately, today we have four cats. One who likes to chew on any plant life, includng flowers. And another who likes to knock flowers over and play in the spilled water…. I miss having fresh flowers.

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      16 May 2017 at 11:02 am

      Oh, yes, a water player! My cat leaves alone narrow vases, but if it’s wide enough for him to stick his head into, he’ll try to drink from it. Fortunately, he leaves the flowers and plants alone.

      Log in to Reply
  10. tlgunnison says:
    16 May 2017 at 12:00 pm

    I’m so glad you brought up daffodils! They’re my very favorite flower, because of the scent. I’m new to a perfume obsession, so I’m not familiar with that many perfumes yet. Is there a perfume that captures the scent of daffodils? (Please say yes!)

    Log in to Reply
    • Angela says:
      16 May 2017 at 12:03 pm

      I’m not 100% about daffodil scent–perhaps someone else can chime in here–but there are a number of fabulous narcissus-based scents out there. A few of my favorites are Masque Milano Romanza, Amouage Myths Woman, Parfums de Nicolai Le Temps d’une Fete.

      Log in to Reply
      • tlgunnison says:
        16 May 2017 at 7:51 pm

        Thank you! I’ll search those out. I personally think they smell quite different (daffodils are quite green smelling), but I also like narcissus.

        Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "Cult Shop: the perfumer drawing on her Māori heritage" (financial times) https://t.co/9HmkvBfcvm, 13 hours ago
  • Imaginary Authors' limited edition Decisions, Decisions from 2020 is available again for a limited time… https://t.co/CL55QrsyTB, 13 hours ago
  • "Scent-a Fe: New Mexico could be first state with official aroma" (guardian) https://t.co/zt7NB3n20L, 15 hours ago
  • "The Smell of Magic: A new crop of scents reference long-held beliefs about the connection between perfume and the… https://t.co/6OeiuFOYtf, 15 hours ago
  • "Can 'perfume regression' solve your stress problem? I put it to the test" (cosmopolitan via yahoo) https://t.co/SRtzlLLFd4, 15 hours ago

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

4 January ~ damage poll
4 February ~ winter reading poll

TBA April ~ swap meet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.