Tag Archives: perfume

I visited an old friend recently and it was a visit tinged with sadness. Due to the side effects of an ongoing medical condition she had lost her sight. Speaking to her on the telephone shortly after, she was wracked with despair at the thought of no longer being able to enjoy the beauty of her garden.

For years she had grown her own vegetables but also spared a few square metres to grow flowers for her home. She could continue to grow vegetables and it was incredible to watch her use her hands to feel the development of carrots by brushing aside the soil from the roots or test the readiness of her peas by touch. However she told me that touch would never make up for not seeing the vibrant colours of her roses and dahlias or the glow of the sunflowers as they nodded their heads towards the sun. She felt that was the deepest loss.

I thought long and hard about what I could do to help and an idea struck me as I walked past a flower shop in our road. As it was a warm day they’d had their door open and the most glorious riot of scents billowed out into the road – lilies and roses, stocks and sweet peas. No one in their right mind would mix them together but the cocktail that hit me made me want to stand there and drink in every last bit. I knew what I needed to do. I raced in and bought small bunches of each of the scented flowers they stocked. I was in for another treat as I loaded the car with them. All the way to the garden centre I gulped deep breaths of the perfume, a little wary that I’d exhaust it before I reached my destination. Once at the garden centre I hunted down the corms of scented lilies, bushes of fragrant musk roses, seeds of sweet peas and stocks and a glossy gardenia.

My friend was pleased to see me but immediately her nose started twitching as she caught the fragrance of my gifts. The flowers will fill her home temporarily with delicate scents, the gardenia will extend the experience but she will be able to grow the lilies, roses, stocks and sweet peas in her garden. She may not be able to see the gorgeous colours as they bloom but that other great gift of flowers, their beautiful perfume, will bless her garden and compensate for the loss of her sight.

Next time you visit Cosmea Gardens why not go for beautiful scents or click on the link to the website for ideas on how you can bring the scent of springtime into your home.