How do you describe scent?

bédé · June 2023

To me, scent is one of the most important aspects of a garden. But it is difficult to describe. And with everyone it is subject to individual preference, personal history and cultural perspective.

I am anosmic to Freesia, a trait I inherited from my mother. I am told it is a big loss. To me a freesia just smells like a cabbage, like a hybrid tulip.

It is not just flowers that have scent, I daily swipe my hand through my rosemary bush. My “mollis” azaleas have scentless flowers, but at this time of year the leaves have a strong spicey smell even without rubbing – but what spice? But also fruit and roots and stems.

I have read in the past week of someone who doesn’t like Lily of the Valley! and the leaves of English Box (must be USA) were described as repulsive – well in one sense. I, peronally, like Hawthorn flowers, widely disliked.

Nanny Beach · June 2023

A lot of plants, shrubs we have, have lemony scent. The various scented pelargoniums smell pretty much as described,in their titles. The Philadelphus with the small flowers smells like bubblegum.

jimmids · June 2023

bédé said:

To me, scent is one of the most important aspects of a garden.  But it is difficult to describe.  And with everyone it is subject to individual preference, personal history and cultural perspective.
I am anosmic to Freesia, a trait I inherited from my mother.  I am told it is a big loss.  To me a freesia just smells like a cabbage, like a hybrid tulip.
It is not just flowers that have scent, I daily swipe my hand through my rosemary bush.  My “mollis” azaleas have scentless flowers, but at this time of year the leaves have a strong spicey smell even without rubbing – but what spice?  But also fruit and roots and stems.
I have read in the past week of someone who doesn’t like Lily of the Valley!  and the leaves of English Box (must be USA) were described as repulsive – well in one sense.  I, peronally,  like Hawthorn flowers, widely disliked.

Well, it seems like noses have their own little quirks too! In the world of scents, it's like a garden party where everyone has their own preferred dance moves. Some noses tango with tulips, some do the salsa with roses, and yours decided to rock out with a cabbage! Who knew that veggies had such great rhythm? Embrace your unique anosmic adventures and keep savoring those unexpected garden fragrances. Who needs a nose that plays by the rules when you can have a nose that waltses to its own funky beat? Enjoy the aromatic symphony, cabbage and all!

SYinUSA · June 2023

I do a poor job of describing scent, though I have a keen nose - it's a question of vocabulary not rhinal capability. I can detect small differences in roses, but can't quite explain the difference in so many words. I once had a weedy vine that smelled just like a tomato plant, but what exactly is the name for that aroma? I certainly don't know.

I usually love the scent of my Scepter'd Isle rose, but every so often it gets a strange medicinal, antiseptic undernote that is slightly nauseating.

bédé · June 2023

The University of California - Davis have developed a most comprehensive Wine Aroma "Circle". I have never come across this elsewhere but it would be most useful. If only for defining vocabulary and laying down standards.

I have noticed that a flower's scent is not constant but ages. My Itea Ilicifolia starts with a delicious aroma that is clearly honey, at that stage it attracts bees, As it ages, the honey aroma fades. It doesn't become unpleasant to me but it starts to attract flies.

bédé · June 2023

Why "spam"?

rowlandscastle444 · June 2023

I describe scent in relation to other aromas, or flowery, sweet, chocolatey, rancid, etc.

But something completely new would leave me speechless!!

Nollie · June 2023

It is really difficult, although it helps to have a baseline to compare it to. We have to be ‘taught’ that the scent of a raspberry is called raspberry, ergo that’s what it smells like.

Even with those shared terms of reference, it’s unlikely that your olfactory experience matches another’s since individual noses detect scent differently, can smell some fragrance notes but not others or the same notes in varying degrees. I have a rose that smells exactly like a citronella candle. Rosemary smells both musky and astringent. Privet is like cat’s pee. But is my perception of citronella or cat’s pee etc. exactly the same as yours? Probably not. Same with colour perception.

rowlandscastle444 · June 2023

Nollie said:
Even with shared terms of reference, it’s unlikely that your olfactory experience matches another’s since individual noses detect scent differently, can smell some fragrance notes but not others or the same notes in varying degrees. I have a rose that smells exactly like a citronella candle. Rosemary smells both musky and astringent. Privet is like cat’s pee. But is my perception of citronella or cat’s pee etc. exactly the same as yours? Probably not. Same with colour perception.

I knew that was the case with colours, but was not aware the same applied to scents.
Hmmmmm!!

DaveGreig · June 2023

Someone brought a pot of Hyacinths into our office a few years ago and when they flowered everyone except me commented on the lovely scent. For me the stench of cat pee hit me as soon as I entered the room and it actually made my eyes water.

On a similar note I love to hear or read wine or whisky buffs waxing lyrical about a drinks nose or the off the wall descriptions of the flavours lingering and developing on the palate. Intellectualising life’s experiences (especially alcoholism) seems to be a facet of human behaviour. You’re either in the club or you’re not so to speak. As far as being scientific about human perception goes, I wish anybody trying, the best of luck with that.🤔

fidgetbones · June 2023

I think noses can be trained, but also some people are better at it than others. For instance , I was once on a training course on perfume at Bush Boake Allen, where they make a lot of the scents put in shampoo and other toiletries. We went through various basic smells (notes). I had what was described as jasmine wafted under my nose. I said that it wasn't quite. There was something missing. Later on as we were touring the scent lab, he dipped a strip in something and then wafted it at me again without saying what it was. Now that was jasmine. The difference is the first one is was jasmine base, a synthetic used in many things, the second was jasmine absolute at an exorbitant price, due to needing many thousands of jasmine flowers to make a small bottle, and hence only used in the most expensive perfumes such as Chanel no 5 and Joy de patou. He said that only 1 in 500 people could tell the difference. Of course it helps that I smell real jasmine from my own bush every summer. The perfume "noses" that make new perfumes, are generally non smokers and keep clear of strong flavoured foods such as curry as it alters perception of fragrance.

Some people are totally anosmic. One of my employers could only smell ammonia, everything else had no smell at all. When I dropped and smashed a large bottle of Liqufruta with garlic, I envied him.

It is well known that sweet violets contain beta ionone, first sniff you can smell it, then it temporarily shuts off smell receptors, and you can't smell it. Hence all the "sweet violet" sweets are flavoured using synthetics.

Galapagos coffee has a strong smell of Chocolate. Out of 30 of us, asked to smell it before drinking and say what it smelt like, two got chocolate, the rest said coffee.

A lot of the flowers in my garden are scented, at this time of year I can detect the citrussy smells of lemon flowers v philadephus v lemon verbena leaves. All citrussy but slightly different.

Smells can also be very evocative of another time or place. Haberdashery shops have a particular smell, as do hardware shops. In Grenada, on the tour we went to the nutmeg processing plant. We got off the bus , and I said " Sunday Morning". My mums house always smelt of it on Sunday Mornings when she made egg custard with a generous sprinkling on top.

How do you describe scent?

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