You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.
- Walter Hagen -
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I'm proud of my garden, the effort I've put into it, and when I see, touch, smell and eat the results of my effort it all seems so worth it.
I designed it to ensure I had something flowering all year round and that meant researching which plants would suit the varying seasonal conditions then deciding which I actually wanted to plant. For my winter blooms it was a no-brainer to include jonquils, they're lovely flowers, quite pretty, and their fragrance is amazing.
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My jonquils grow at the front of the house so when someone comes to the front door they get to smell their scent, often described as indolic, that is, lush and rich, due to the presence of the organic compound called indole. It's difficult to describe scents, for me at least, however think of jasmine but much warmer, more rich and heady, sweet like honey and...hmm, just find some jonquils, or grow them, and find out for yourself.
I always cut some and bring them inside, not many though, the fragrance is so strong that one doesn't need many. I pop a few into two little vases, add some lavender inflorescences and a little greenery, and place them so that no matter where one is in the living areas of the house once can enjoy the scent.
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I took a few shots in my lightbox using a dark background to emphasise the flowers themselves. As you can see, they are quite delicate and the petals have a silky look and feel; they're also a little sparkly, although I think that's quite difficult to see with the naked eye and without the benefit of the macro lens.
I'm happy with how these turned out, they feel fresh and bright despite the dark background and I like the slash of green.
[IMAGE: https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/galenkp/EoGrDyEU28PNtrrbsYe92aT1K7Q8WzTHjSmaR7qJGQDFiPopCHSdrLm5AwhGE768YhE.jpg]
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I enjoyed the process of getting these shots and am hard-pressed to determine which is my favourite. I think I'll go with image two...and image five. And one and three...and four. Hmm, ok, that's all of them.
Jonquils are not my favourite flower, just one I really like; it's the scent, the way they look and a special moment (many moments) from my past that they take me back to when I see and smell them.
Have you ever smelled the fragrance of the jonquil and if so do you like it? Have you grown your own or would you like to? Maybe you'd just like to comment about something you've read above, or the images. Feel free to do so below, I always reply.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default; tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind - galenkp
[All original and proudly AI free.]
Every image in this post is my own.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III was used to capture these images and none of them are for your use.
@rorykl | July 12, 2023, 1:49 a.m. | Votes: 1 | [
VOTE ]
I’m stoked to be the first comment on this - I too love my garden, although it has not yet reached anything near blog (or even photograph worthy)
These things are gorgeous man, they look kind of like some kind of…shit I can’t even remedy what they were! I keep thinking tulip, but I know that’s not right…but I tried to grow a particular type of flower, at least three times - orchid!!! It reminds me of an orchid!!!! They’re so beautiful. Is this thing similar in terms of its needs? You must be in geographic region capable of supporting these things, if it’s out in the garden…can you plant it once and keep it for as long as you care for it? I’m not sure if you have winters where you are, so it’s tough to tailor my questions, but I’m very curious!
(I just realized, I’m not under my old familiar account, @albuslucimus, but I don’t want to cut and redo this comment. This is my second account, strictly for sharing with local venues for gigs and such.)
Anyway, super cool man, are you planning on sharing the various plants in you garden as they flower?? Im also a big fan of always having something flowering if possible, but I haven’t been able to build things out to that point yet :)
It is very difficult this time to decide which one I like the most out of all the pictures, because they are all beautiful. The green gives a special touch of colour.
When I was studying painting my teacher used to tell me, black and white are not colours, white is light and black is absence of light, so the green gave that touch of colour between light and shadow. I like poetry, I can't help it.
Four is the one that seemed the most artistic to me after many minutes looking at them, I wanted to decide for one, I had to be able to do it.
I have not had that flower but I have planted many varieties of jasmine in my house in Argentina, they are my favourites, especially one that has a very deep aroma. I would cut a single one and put it in a glass container, the scent would last for more than two days. And I love it. I like sweet scents very much.
I took good care of those jasmines.... I must have pictures of my garden in Argentina, it was 20x50 square meters. I had fruit trees, flowers, bushes... they are now in my memory. And those aromas will never leave my senses again.
Thank you Galen!