Provence is awash in wisteria. It cascades down every arbor and hugs every stone arch. Its racemes ranging in color from crushed Concord grapes to lavender ice cream tumble from the roofs and hang like Christmas ornaments from the cypress trees. Wisteria smells of orange blossoms, honey and tangerine peel. It leaves me intoxicated. Or perhaps, it’s simply Provence at springtime.
Wisteria and Provence by Anna Kozlova, a marvelous photographer who captured the experience of The Art of Perfume course. More stories and photos to come.
43 Comments
Cornelia Blimber: Ah, Wisteria! I remember very well Freiburg im Breisgau, Wisteria everywhere, delightful! That picture brought it back to my Nose. Wonderful. April 12, 2017 at 8:10am
Victoria: There are lots of it in Brussels too, but in Provence it’s a riot of wisteria. April 12, 2017 at 11:22am
Austenfan: I’ll be in Provence in 4 days. Can’t wait. Such a wonderful season. April 12, 2017 at 9:10am
Victoria: Lucky you! It’s my favorite time to visit. April 12, 2017 at 11:23am
DelRae ROTH: Fabulous…. just love seeing these images and reminded of my trips there. thank you. April 12, 2017 at 10:06am
Victoria: My pleasure! April 12, 2017 at 11:23am
Brooke: Does anyone have any wisteria perfume recommendations?? April 12, 2017 at 10:13am
Phyllis Iervello: Comme des Garcons Stephen Jones
Wisteria Hysteria…a very good wisteria fragrance and a cool bottle. April 12, 2017 at 11:22am
Victoria: We were commenting at the same time! It’s good, isn’t it? April 12, 2017 at 11:26am
Phyllis Iervello: Victoria, Yes it is good…great minds think alike (so they say)! April 12, 2017 at 11:41am
Victoria: 🙂
It’s also probably one of the truest wisteria accords. It’s hard to find a good rendition of this flower in perfume. April 12, 2017 at 1:39pm
Brooke: Thank you! <3 April 13, 2017 at 2:22am
Victoria: Diptyque Olene comes to mind. Crabtree & Evelyn used to have a wonderful wisteria scented soap. And then there is also my favorite candle, L’Artisan Sous la Glycine April 12, 2017 at 11:24am
Ellen M.: I’d love to know any Wisteria scents as well as Brooke. April 12, 2017 at 11:15am
Victoria: Another one I should mention is Comme des Garçons by Stephen Jones Wisteria Hysteria. It would be perfect for what I’m describing.
Tom Ford Fleur de Chine has a lovely wisteria note, but it’s been discontinued. April 12, 2017 at 11:25am
Brooke: Ah, that is one of the Tom Fords I have always wanted to try. I might try to hunt down a bottle. April 13, 2017 at 2:23am
Victoria: It was one of their best. April 17, 2017 at 1:23pm
Phyllis Iervello: Victoria, that photo is absolutely gorgeous! April 12, 2017 at 11:23am
Victoria: There will be plenty more photos and stories later. Anna is a marvelous photographer, and she did a great job capturing our experience. I was in a full teaching mode, so I hardly took any photos. April 12, 2017 at 11:27am
Phyllis Iervello: Victoria, I love your stories and your photos and they go hand in hand with perfumes as there is usually a “story” behind most perfumes. April 12, 2017 at 11:42am
Victoria: Thank you very much! April 12, 2017 at 1:39pm
AndreaR: It’s gray and rainy here in the Pacific Northwest so the colorful sights and scents of Provence are most welcome. April 12, 2017 at 1:32pm
Victoria: Oh, soon it will be warm and beautiful. I love spring in your area. April 12, 2017 at 1:38pm
Brenda: My days of travelling from Canada to Europe have ceased : but, while my husband was alive Provence was one of our “musts” along the way. Beautiful words, photos and memories … thank you for making my day 😊 April 12, 2017 at 1:55pm
Victoria: I’m glad I could bring back some happy memories for you. Thank you, Brenda. April 17, 2017 at 1:30pm
Joy: Beautiful photos with stunning colors. Wisteria grows here in the Pacific Northwest, but not with the color combinations that are evidenced in your photos. Also since it is still cold here, the Wisteria likely will not be blooming until June.
I love the blue/orange color juxtaposition.
Thank you for the warmth and sunshine in your photos. April 12, 2017 at 4:07pm
Victoria: It’s one of my favorite color combinations. One of my wedding saris was saffron and turquoise. It fit well Carnal Flower, my wedding perfume. April 17, 2017 at 1:29pm
KatieAnn: What a delightful place to be. And thank you for sharing these beautiful photos. This reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Enchanted April. One cold, rainy day two English women read the same small advertisement tucked away in the newspaper. It starts off by saying, “To those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine”. I know I don’t speak for myself when I say I certainly do! April 12, 2017 at 5:20pm
Victoria: I do too! (I must see that movie.) April 17, 2017 at 1:28pm
Claudia: I used to wear Chantecaille Wisteria. Loved it so much! April 12, 2017 at 8:24pm
Victoria: I used to like it very much. April 17, 2017 at 1:27pm
zephyr: I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t think I’ve ever smelled wisteria! Don’t see much of it here in Chicago. But the blossoms are gorgeous and so lush-looking. And my favorite color, lol. I’ll seek out a sample of Wisteria Hysteria – it sounds beautiful.
Thank you for the photos, Victoria, and hope we get a full report on how your course went! April 13, 2017 at 1:39am
Victoria: If you see a black locust tree in bloom, take a sniff and imagine a sweeter scent. That’s wisteria. April 17, 2017 at 1:27pm
Richard Goller: Beautiful imagery and mood. And I learned a new word today. Racemes. Big thank you. R April 13, 2017 at 4:35am
Victoria: A useful word to describe those beautiful bunches of flowers. 🙂 April 17, 2017 at 1:25pm
Carla: Beautiful! Provence is a special place April 13, 2017 at 7:25am
Victoria: It is! Nature, architecture, cuisine and very warm people. April 17, 2017 at 1:25pm
Aurora: Such a treat, and your wonderful way of describing the scent and Anna’s photos. You know glycine is really loved by the French, and one of my aunts had one in her suburbian garden but I bet the scent radiates more in Provence. You inspire me to try and plant one in my brother’s garden in Provence. April 13, 2017 at 2:29pm
Victoria: It grows profusely in Brussels, which was a surprising discovery. I associate with the south of France. April 17, 2017 at 1:24pm
Ingeborg: I don’t know the real smell of wisteria, but really enjoyed a sample of Wisteria Hysteria. Love the sunny photos, we had snow in the air here in Oslo yesterday. Croci and scilla are the flowers now, and tulips only as cut flowers indoors so far. April 15, 2017 at 12:09pm
Victoria: Sending you some Provencal sunshine! April 17, 2017 at 1:19pm
SilverMoon: When I think of Wisteria, I think of spring in Tuscany. There the wisteria hangs down from walls and garden trellises, similar to those in the photos above. And walking past or sitting under them can make you get drunk on their perfume. One literally gets dizzy inhaling their scent. One of my favourite flowers, but have never smelt it in a perfume as such. So, I will try the suggestion above.
By the way, the Italian soap brand Nesti Dante has a lovely wisteria smelling soap. April 23, 2017 at 1:59pm
Victoria: They also package their soaps so well. April 26, 2017 at 1:01pm