On a cold winter's night, one of the nicest things is to thumb through some gardening books, and a while ago I found an interesting book on aromatherapy. It was written more from the gardening perspective than a therapeutic perspective, and skimming through it made me think of how important scents are in the garden.I'll relate a little story to you: last year, when we were lucky enough to visit Hawaii, one of the first things that we noticed when we got off the plane was the aroma.
Contrary to what we expected , there was the faint wafting of a flowery scent in the air, and it became more pronounced as we stepped outside into the warm night air. What a heavenly surprise to enjoy such a sensory greeting! If you have ever had the good fortune to smell plumeria flowers, which grow everywhere in Hawaii, you will remember that scent and the feeling of calmness and relaxation that they seem to bring.
Now, back to a frigid night on the Saskatchewan prairie, as I'm thumbing through the aromatherapy book. What fragrances do we enjoy in our gardens? The soft fragrances of so many plants are probably where aromatherapy began, hundreds or thousands of years ago. Certain smells were associated with certain re-sponses, and while that takes our discussion to a more clinical level, let's stick to the aromatherapy of gardeners.
I learned a few interesting little factoids to share with you, about common plants that we can grow.
Roses are a good example: their scent has long been the basis for perfume, and they bring a sense of calm and tranquility. The pungent lavender plant is also known for tranquility; even one little plant in a flowerpot by your patio can be a "mini-diffuser" of that soothing aroma. We love to plant basil in a flowerpot, and I read that the scent of basil can aid in concentration and help with depression. I think it also must add calories, because when I smell basil, I think of pizza or pasta, and strive to have one or the other as soon as possible! Thyme is supposed to be invigorating, and it certainly makes a person feel alive to run your hand back and forth through a thick mat of the thyme plant so it releases that burst of scent for us to enjoy!
For us gardeners, there is a more subtle aromatherapy: the smell of the earth when spring finally arrives; the dusky perfume of damp peat moss as we mix it into the soil on a sunny afternoon; the tender aroma of young tomato plants as we set them out into the garden; the tangy scent of carrot tops when we brush against them as we're weeding. Aren't these all smells that the gardener savors?
Let's go back to formal aromatherapy for a minute. While I read much about the fragrances of many plants and their uses, I also read that aromatherapy is a skilled science, with certain fragrances being used for certain things. Not all fragrances are good for all people at all times, so do some research before you purchase any aromatherapy oils for your own use. Just because it is "natural" doesn't mean that it does not have to handled with care.
The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, February 16. Members, please note the new location: the Sunshine Room at SIGN on North Street. Meeting time is 7 p.m., and we'll have a great speaker. Hopefully the deep freeze of last week is behind us, and we can start to look forward to warmer temperatures.
