Vanilla-Scented Orchids in Perfume
Stepping inside the Princess of Wales Conservatory during Kew Gardens’ annual orchid festival—it usually runs from February to March—is a chance to discover how beautiful the fragrance of these opulent tropical flowers can be. While the most popular orchids sold by florists are unscented, there are also many perfumed varieties, with their aromas spanning the full olfactory spectrum from effervescent lemon to dark chocolate.
One such scented orchid is vanilla planifolia. Perhaps it’s not surprising, since this plant produces one of the world’s most fragrant spices. The flowers have a delicious aroma reminiscent of creamy jasmine and green grape. Although more subtle than the scent of vanilla pods, it has inspired perfumers to create fragrances around vanilla flowers relying on the recent studies of orchids and their aromas.
Annemieke in In the Defense of Perfume and Other “Feminine” Pursuits: Thank you for this beautiful article! In my circle of friends and family too, there is little understanding for my fascination with perfume and fragrance and my collecting them. I… October 3, 2023 at 12:43pm