How often does one gaze out into a garden and reflect on the beautiful sights and smells provided for us by nature? Each stem and flower that pushes up through the soil, emerging from a bulb, doubly entertains our senses and emotions.
How often does one gaze out into a garden and reflect on the beautiful sights and smells provided for us by nature? Each stem and flower that pushes up through the soil, emerging from a bulb, doubly entertains our senses and emotions.
When one considers the sensory satisfaction one gets from flowering bulbs it's no wonder that perfumeries around the world have employed them when making their fragrances. There is a vast assortment of perfumes today that are created using the essential oils of flowers that grow from bulbs.
One of the most famous examples of a bulb used for perfume is the intoxicating fragrance extracted from the flowers of Polianthes tuberose, or simply 'tuberose' as it is better known. The waxy white flowers of tuberose have been used to make perfumes for centuries and their oil, known as ‘absolute’, is also used for relaxing aromatherapy treatments and as an antiseptic.
The tuberose bloom has a sweet, floral fragrance that is rich, a little spicy and exotic. The fragrance of tuberose is similar to that of jasmine and orange tree blossoms. There are a number of perfumers that have adopted this scent to add a sensual, intoxicating note to their fragrances.
Robert Piguet’s perfume ‘Fracas’ is dominated by tuberose, and it is also the main floral component of Guerlain’s ‘Jardins de Bagatelle’. Tuberose is also at the heart of Christian Dior’s famous ‘Poison’. Tuberose is just one bulb used in the art of perfume making; our very own South African freesia is also highly valued for its beautiful fragrance.
It is in fact particularly expensive as the essential oil is tricky to extract from the flowers. There are, however, some perfumes that are infused with the essence of freesia, like Ferragamo’s ‘Incanto Bloom’ for example. Freesia adds a light sweet and floral scent to perfume and is also a very popular fragrance for soaps and lotions.
There is also Hedychium, or the garland lily, whose essential oils have a tropical floral fragrance. When combined with complementary citrus or fruit scents the result is a light and fruity perfume. The next time you catch a whiff of a friend’s perfume or apply a spritz of a much-loved fragrance, you may well be enjoying the scent of one of your favourite bulbs from the garden.
