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:
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.
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.
What a beautiful post! Great bouquets and ideas. I wish we had “smell-o-vision”!
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.
That bouquet is absolutely gorge. Like the idea of cedar. Sometimes I’ll add a judicious stalk of eucalyptus (not everyone loves it)
Eucalyptus is so pretty, too! I have a huge bay tree in my yard, and I’m planning on raiding it for bouquet material.
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!
How nice! It’s great to have an elaborate bouquet, but even a few lilies of the valley next to the bed are wonderful.
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.
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).
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?
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.
What a delightful and inspiring idea for a spring post, Angela! Love the bouquet that Justin Waddell did, too.
I hope that means you’ll find a few spring blooms to add some loveliness to your home!
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!
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. ????
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!
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.
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.
White lilacs are the holy grail of scents to me…
The flowers are edible, too! My neighbor has one that tastes faintly of vanilla.
I can practically smell it now! It sounds gorgeous.
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.
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.
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!)
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.
Thank you! I’ll search those out. I personally think they smell quite different (daffodils are quite green smelling), but I also like narcissus.