CHAPTER VIII 



FRAGRANCE 



" And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the air (where 

 it comes and goes liice the warbling ol music) than in the hand, there- 

 fore nothing is more fit for that delight than to know what be the 

 flowers and plants that do best perfume the air." — Bacon. 



One of the most precious gifts of the garden is that of 

 fragrance, yet how seldom is the fact realised. Colour 

 and form are to a certain extent insisted upon, but even 

 among the best gardeners strange disregard is shown for 

 plants whose greatest charm lies in their perfume. Why 

 this should be, I cannot tell. Nine people out of ten 

 are keenly susceptible to the pleasure which is awakened 

 by the fragrance of flowers ; to many the scent of the 

 rose is far more grateful than either its colour or perfect 

 outline. In large grounds a small enclosure is often set 

 apart and dedicated only to such flowers as are sweetly 

 scented. But why look upon the "scented garden" as 

 a thing apart, possible only for those who have space 

 and means for special features .'' When the whole 

 garden may be made a place of sweet and subtle odours, 

 it seems absurd to regard fragrance as a rarity which 

 must be labelled, lest its significance be overlooked. 

 Joubert has said that " scents are the souls of flowers" ; 

 certainly a scentless blossom must always be lacking in 

 something which instinct teaches us to expect. Give a 

 flower to a child and its first thought will be for its 

 sweetness, not for its colour or form. An eye for 

 colour is denied to hundreds of people, grace of outline 



67 



