Fragrance gardening challenge
Veggies and flowers are good and well, but I'm rarely ever around enough to enjoy a feast for the eyes or nose at the time when any thing's actually blossoming. I mainly plant that which thrives on neglect or what my honeybees might benefit from in my, sometimes, protracted absence. The vermin and pests pillage anything that might bear fruit in my area long before it's ever ripe enough for human consumption, much less enjoyment. Therefore selections such as these for my garden tend to be heartbreaking disappointments at their worst, and at best, simply more effort than they're worth.
However, I've had great luck and skill and very much appreciate plants that possess pleasing aromatic essences in their leaves and stems, as well as their flowers - those such as hops, lavender, hyssop, a variety of mints, fennel, rosemary, oregano, and basils to name the basics. But I feel like I'm missing a lot by not drawing on the full experience of the members of this community.
I encourage anyone reading this entry who has preferences to share your experience and favorite selections with the rest of the class who might be interested in gardening from an olfactory perspective. Bonus if the suggested plants are edible and/or honeybee friendly, as well, and maybe even some tangible benefits for anyone interested if I can combine these essences with bee products to create things like soap, perfumes, lotions, beer & wine (for the locals) or anything else I'm too sleepy to recall at the moment. Sound good? I'm in zone 6, mid-Atlantic.
However, I've had great luck and skill and very much appreciate plants that possess pleasing aromatic essences in their leaves and stems, as well as their flowers - those such as hops, lavender, hyssop, a variety of mints, fennel, rosemary, oregano, and basils to name the basics. But I feel like I'm missing a lot by not drawing on the full experience of the members of this community.
I encourage anyone reading this entry who has preferences to share your experience and favorite selections with the rest of the class who might be interested in gardening from an olfactory perspective. Bonus if the suggested plants are edible and/or honeybee friendly, as well, and maybe even some tangible benefits for anyone interested if I can combine these essences with bee products to create things like soap, perfumes, lotions, beer & wine (for the locals) or anything else I'm too sleepy to recall at the moment. Sound good? I'm in zone 6, mid-Atlantic.