Sweet scents

The smell of flowers can make us remember a particular time in our lives, it can freshen a room or it can just cheer us up. Fresh flowers smell wonderful and the thing most people do when they first pick up a bunch of flowers, of course, is take in the wonderful scents.

Which flowers to choose

There are many flowers with powerful, heady scents. Here are some of our favourites.

• Hyacinths – These might even smell a bit too strong for some people. Perhaps keep one or two Hyacinths in a vase and make sure they have a big room in which to spread their scent.
• Roses – Roses are always popular and they have a famous, delicious scent popular in beauty products and food too.
• Lilies – These have a fresh, strong smell that adds to any home. Be careful, though, because lilies are poisonous to cats.
• Lavender – The smell of Lavender can help to promote relaxation and is widely used in aromatherapy.
• Sweet Peas – These have a delicate scent that, to most, is reminiscent of summer.

How to enhance a fragrance

If you want those glorious scents to linger, then you need to know how to look after your flowers.

• Follow the rules – If your florist gave you instructions for the care of the flowers, then follow those guidelines.
• Feed your blooms – Add any flower food that may have arrived with the bouquet.
• Avoid leaf litter – Don’t let any leaves touch the water and take out any that fall in. This will help prevent the water spoiling and will, in turn, extend the life of the flowers.
• Position is important – Keep your flowers away from direct sunlight, radiators or cooling vents.
• Check the water – If the water in the vase looks cloudy or smells, throw it away and replace with lukewarm water.

Did you know?

• When you are choosing flowers for your home or talking to a florist, make sure there’s only one highly scented flower in the bouquet, otherwise the aromas might mask one another.
• According to new research, flower scents sprayed around the bedroom before sleep result in more positive dreams.
• The world’s worst smelling flower is said to be the Titan Arum. It only smells when it comes into flower – which is rarely – but the smell is so foul that it has been given the cheerful nickname of the corpse flower.

References
http://www.yell.com/gardens/blog/florists-which-are-the-best-scented-flowers/
http://www.saga.co.uk/health/mind/how-smell-affects-your-body-and-mind.aspx
http://www.britinfo.net/florists/cut-flowers.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/plantstotry_sensory.shtml
http://eawright.hubpages.com/hub/sweet-smelling-flowers
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/foulsmelling-corpse-flower-can-live-on-724524.html