Smell something?


About two weeks ago, I came home from work, got down from the car and went to open the gate. It was already late evening and getting pretty dark.

However, one could still observe the annoying presence of the haze. Instinctively, I crinkled up my nose and controlled my breathing. Then it hit me. A familiar strong, sweet and soothing scent... At first, it conjured up images of seductive long haired women from Malay folklore floating around in the air. *Shudder*, reality check... I quickly snapped myself out of it and scanned the garden.

Hmm, couldn't be... I thought my dad had already got rid of those. Don't tell me, it's in the neighbor's compound. Shucks, it was too dark to check. To be honest, the sweet aroma was a welcome change. Even in these hazy conditions, it nullified the stuffiness that permeated the air. I gave up searching and went indoors.

Over the next few days, I observed the same mysterious fragrance. As dusk turned to night, the scent became stronger. I was piqued with curiousity but a bit too tired and lazy to look around.
Finally, the weekend came. I walked around the house. Aha, there it was. Standing proud and tall, and meticulously trimmed; a lone, proud jasmine shrub. Looks like dad left one intact.
Sigh, it brings back many nostalgic feelings. We used to have four of these at the back of the house. At night, the soothing fragrance would linger in the air. It helped me to relieve stress and made sleeping much more pleasant. Frankly, I prefer it to any of those overpriced designer fragrances.

Too bad I'm not much of a gardener. I have too little patience and always want fast results. Give me an active puppy any day or a computer game. But for this little treasure, maybe I'll make an exception. I've already recommended it to a friend with a barren garden. I told him, it probably works better than wine. Heh...

Comments

Las montañas said…
damn! now I feel like going to the nursery and get a pot of jasmine.

And if you have some space on the ground... I might be able to send you some brugmansia cuttings. Brugmansias when in bloom induce sleep, that is what a friend from latin america told me.
Las montañas said…
List of fragrant plants you can try:

Murraya paniculata (very fragrant and blooms after rains but flowers don't last long)

Jasminum sambac (this is the one you were probably describing. Prone to pests)

Gardenia tubifera (golden gardenia. very SWEET fragrance)

Hedychium coronarium (this is a ginger with white flowers, again very sweet strong fragrance)

Brunfelsia americana (beige-yellow flowers that are only fragrant at night. SWEET fragrance)

Brunfelsia paucifolia (Yesterday, today, tomorrow).

Carnanga ordorata (ylang ylang). Used as a base for Chanel #5 parfum.


Google for the images.
Jonzz said…
lm: so many plants, so little time. I shall just enjoy my leetle jasmineee.
Las montañas said…
Its not that many at all. Imagine if you have them all blooming, you'll have a potpourri of scents!
dudu said…
Potpourri of scents, wont that like, overwhelm and make it quite bad? Or I'm completely wrong?
Annie said…
I know Jonzz, just hire Monty to plant them for ya.

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