Book shelf
Four timely reads to inspire gardeners of all ages
Reviewed by Lorraine Hunter
“A garden filled with fragrant plants creates a complex aromatic blend that becomes the garden’s own signature perfume.” What gardener could resist such a promise? The Aromatherapy Garden – Growing Fragrant Plants for Happiness and Well-Being tells you just about everything you ever wanted to know about fragrance in the garden. Author Kathi Keville, an aromatherapist and herbalist, grows nearly 500 species of medicinal herbs and fragrant plants at her Green Medicine Herb School in Nevada City, California. Keville goes into detail about which plant fragrances evoke specific feelings and emotions. Peonies and roses, for example, are mood boosters and can even increase innovative thinking and productivity in the workplace. Herb-like scents help protect the body from the negative impact of stress. The ‘green’ scents of fennel, oregano and marjoram improve feelings of general well-being. German chamomile, gardenia and lemon grass are calming and encourage relaxation and sleep. The fragrance of lilac makes one happy and reminiscent but can also be associated with melancholy memories and loss.
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Photos: Timber Press, Friesen Press
The Aromatherapy Garden
Growing Fragrant Plants for Happiness and Well-Being
The author touches on fragrant aphrodisiacs noting that men and women are often attracted to different scents— women to cucumber and chocolate (think chocolatescented clematis, geranium and peppermint) and men to anise, hyssop, fennel and pumpkin pie spice! We all, it seems, like the scents of licorice and lavender. Keville suggests planting several of these in the same area to create an aphrodisiac-themed garden. She describes a number of plant combinations. For example, you can create a succession of blooms that drench the shade garden with scent for months – wintersweet, daphne and violets in early spring followed by primrose, lily-of-the-valley, sweet woodruff, wintergreen and finally gardenia in early summer.
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Summer 2021
