Scent . Subtle or obtrusive?

In the garden the Iris flourishes beautifully. It is bulbous Iris aucheri, an unknown Iris, 15 cm high, a real beauty. It flowers in very pale blue, and has a green yellow stripe on the lower lip. In backlit the flower seems translucent.

To show how well these Irises are doing in my garden I have send a picture to my bulb supplier ( www.deenbloembollen.nl ). He replied: "Have you smelled the scent already?"

Well no, I did not. After all, when you try to make sharp pictures you should hold your breath. I did not notice any smell at all. To get familiar with the smell I pick one of those Irises from the garden and take it inside.

I take a smell on the Iris .... to me they smell like a spring meadow. My husband however thinks it's a combination of freesia and lilies. A subtle fragrance. It suits this light blue flower.

I go back into the garden and pick a bunch of different flowers. Then I try to describe the floral scent one by one. It is more difficult than you would imagine! I smell banana with a hint of lemon, vanilla and lots of lily fragrances. I place all the flowers in a tulip vase in the kitchen window .

When I go into the kitchen that evening, a heavy floral scent overwhelms me. It is a real explosion of fragrances. The lily scent of the daffodils almost gives me a headache.

Fragrant flowers are fantastic in the garden. But inside, some are just a little bit too powerful to in my taste!

information about the garden click here: