I'm tripping lightly along the path of my grandmother's cottage garden cradling an armload of fragrant lilacs. The scent of delicate lily-of-the-valley entwined in my hair mingles with the perfume of crownvetch cascading down the hillside, fiercely protecting its host from spring's torrential rains. A snowball bush tucked into the corner created by a split rail fence earns its name as its branches bend under the weight of fragrant white globes. The spicy scent of peonies tickles my nostrils, while the fragrance of sun-warmed larkspur drifts almost melodiously on the soft breeze. Did I mention I was dreaming?
If this idyllic scenario summons forth fond memories of your childhood, y'all didn't grow up 'round here.
I can close my eyes and almost smell the lilacs blooming alongside the old red shingled garage that backed up to the alley. Daddy would sometimes take a saw to the limbs that rubbed the shingles. I'm sure his timing was not conducive to more blooms next spring. But next spring - there it was, showing off its large, heavily perfumed panicles - not seeming to have suffered any ill effects from the surgery.
The cellar door attached to the back of the white two-story frame house created a shady corner where lily-of-the-valley grew. From slender, arched, upright stems hung small delicate white bells so perfect you expected to hear them tinkle. Their fragrance mingled with the earthy smell of damp leaves which they had pushed aside in order to welcome spring.
Soft spring evenings would find me on the board swing Daddy had hung from a limb of the old apple tree. I drank in the aroma of pink blossoms, and knew that a not too distant autumn day would find my Mother, wooden spoon in hand, stirring a bubbling pot of apple butter; its sweet spiciness to be savored soon on breakfast toast.
The old, chipped concrete birdbath was centered in a bed of pink peonies. Strong stems holding walnut-sized buds rose above deeply cut, luxuriant foliage. In the bud's swollen stage, ants worked incessantly, eating away at the waxy coating. Slowly, the elegant flowers opened, gracefully displaying myriad petals. The stems arched under the weight of baseball-sized blooms whose heady fragrance could send you into a state of euphoria.
If all of this makes you think that only the middle of America can produce aromatic memories - think again. Here on the Gulf Coast, we are also fortunate enough to be able to grow many plants that produce memory-provoking aromas.
Have you ever taken a stroll on a warm summer evening and been caught unawares by the perfume of night-blooming jasmine hanging heavy in the still air? Whether in your garden or a neighbor's garden, its fragrance permeates the neighborhood. While in the cooler days of January, the yellow Carolina jessamine cascading over the fence releases its faint but sweet aroma. Spring brings fragrant white blossoms of Mexican plum that sparkle in early morning sunlight. The long stalks of blooming butterfly ginger that you placed in a vase lend a sweetness to any room in the house. A jelly jar filled with multi-colored sweet peas that you gathered on a crisp morning sit on the kitchen table, their scent mingling with the aroma of bread baking in the oven. A vase of slender paperwhites intertwined with sprigs of trailing rosemary create a heady concoction appreciated by everyone who walks by. The simple red or white flowers of nicotiana send forth a fragrance that belies the plainness of the plant, while the spicy scent of dianthus elicits a comforting warmth from a cool day. An old-fashioned American Beauty rose embracing a pillar or creating a shady interlude beneath a garden pergola, exudes scent appeal. The heady, lemony fragrance of the southern magnolia is surpassed only slightly by the creamy white cape jasmine blooms.
Will your garden be remembered fondly by the next generation, and the next? Will your family recall the colorful, tightly closed four o'clock blossoms at noon, but open and fragrant at dusk? Will they remember the extremely aromatic, cool white flower spikes of the sweet pepperbush that appear in the hot summer months, when most other flowers are scarce? Will small family members proudly offer you bouquets of your own sweet violets in spring?
No matter where you live in these United States, with a little planning and a little effort, you can cultivate a collection of perfume-filled memories for your family. The sweet scent of a delicate blossom can resurrect a yesterday.