The document discusses the significance of California native scented plants in gardening, emphasizing their historical importance and potential health benefits. It explores the resurgence of interest in scented gardens, linking it to modern trends in edible and habitat gardening. Additionally, it addresses the ecological role of scents in plant communication and pollinator attraction, suggesting ways to effectively incorporate these plants into contemporary gardens.

1. © Project SOUND
Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. County
Project SOUND – 2018 (our 14th year)

2. © Project SOUND
Gardening for Scent:
the importance of
scented plants for health
C.M. Vadheim, K. Dawdy (and T. Drake)
CSUDH (emeritus), CSUDH & City of Torrance
Madrona Marsh Preserve
April 7 & 12, 2018

3. 2018 Season – Gardens that sooth
© Project SOUND
Gardens that heal

4. We Californians are blessed with so
many native scented plants…
…that we sometimes forget just how special
they really are

5. Today we’re going to explore some of our
native fragrant plants
© Project SOUND

6. We’ll talk about the importance of scented
plants for our gardens – and for ourselves
© Project SOUND

7. © Project SOUND
We’ll discuss some tricks for using scented
native plants effectively in our gardens

8. But first we need a little background on
people, animals and plants
© Project SOUND

9. Huge current interest in ‘scented
products’ right now
 Flavors & Fragrances: $30 billion industry (2016) and
growing rapidly each year
 Many of the scents are ‘plant-derived’
© Project SOUND
https://swiftnary.com/news/global-flavor-fragrance-market-2017-symrise-takasago-wild-flavors-mane-frutarom-2238.html

10. Scented gardens have been popular in
the past (and are becoming so again)
 Earliest scented gardens in
Persia, at least 3500 years ago
 Earliest scented gardens were
meant to link heaven & earth (a
place for meditation & pleasure)
 In the past, scented gardens and
their useful products were
intimately linked:
 Foods/flavorings
 Medicinals
 Personal & room ‘fresheners’
© Project SOUND
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130819462@N04/23420440283

11. Less interest in scented plants since the
late 1800’s. Why?
 New medicinals/treatment modalities
and products (chemicals; antibiotics)
 Life became more ‘sanitary’ and less
‘smelly’
 Scented plants/products seen as ‘old-
fashioned’ and ‘crude/vulgar’
 New plant varieties focused on color,
shape & safety (no bees!)
 Less time and money for:
 Enjoying the garden, including
meditation/contemplation
 Garden upkeep
© Project SOUND
http://www.sath.org.uk/edscot/www.educationscotland.gov.uk/sc
otlandshistory/makingthenation/monasticorders/index.html
In many ways, gardens
became less interesting over
time

12. 2018: new interest in scented gardens
 Increased interest in historic gardens
 Edible gardening movement – grow your
own herbs and spices
 Habitat gardening movement
 Evidence that scents (at least some) are
good for our health
 Growing sense that ‘outdoor therapy’ is
sorely needed in urban places
© Project SOUND
https://www.fromoldbooks.org/Edwards-
ForestOfArden/pages/000-xii-Rosalind/
https://designforgenerations.com/case-studies/therapy-
garden-merwick/

13. Some important questions to consider
1. What’s the evidence that scented plants are good for us and
our gardens?
2. How can we best use scented plants in the garden?
3. How to we adapt the concept of a scented garden to our
own, unique (and changing) California gardens?
© Project SOUND
https://www.flowerpotman.com/sensory-gardens-at-home/herb-garden/

14. Plants produce scented chemicals for
several reasons (many w/ a deep past)
 Sweet-scented (and sometimes
nasty-scented) flowers: to attract
pollinators (at least those w/ a sense of
smell: bees, butterflies/moths, pollinator
flies, even humans)
 Sweet-scented fruits/seeds: to signal
seed distributers that seeds are ready
 Pungent scented foliage, roots, other
plant parts:
 To warn herbivores to stay away
(some are actually toxic)
 Sometimes to warn away disease-
carrying vectors
 Sometimes to signal other plants

15. Including more scented plants creates
better garden habitat – for good reason
© Project SOUND
Scent is one of the more
important ways plants
communicate with animals!

16. In Feb/Mar we visited the Sonoran Desert
© Project SOUND
Desert Botanic Garden – Phoenix AZ
http://www.ddtvl.com/dbg.htm

17. We saw some inspiring Desert landscapes
© Project SOUND
https://www.landscapingnetwork.com/pictures/southwestern-landscaping_42/88005-
nm-casa-serena-landscape-designs-llc-garden-walkway_2825/
But did you know that the Sonoran Desert is a
biodiversity hotspot for native bees?

18. How can that be so? What explains this?
© Project SOUND
http://www.aridzonetrees.com/olneya-tesota.html
https://coastsideslacking.com/2017/03/30/super-bloom-part-1-anza-borrego-
wildflowers-defy-expectations-but-we-are-impressed-anyway/
A number of convergent factors
make ‘difficult’ climates incubators
of biodiversity

19. Importance of scented flowers in desert
(and mediterranean) climates
 Limited window of time for
plants to reproduce
 Limited time for insect
pollinators as well: temperature
and water-limited
 Year-to-year variability in
amount and timing of rainfall
 Need good ability to signal
pollinators, over longer
distances
© Project SOUND
It makes evolutionary sense for
plants to spend scarce energy
on signaling molecules; they
need the pollinators so they
can reproduce

20. Tremendous flowering plant diversity in
Sonoran Desert
 Many of the adaptations between desert
plants and their pollinators are unique
 Wide diversity of insect pollinators; native
bees most common
 Other desert pollinators: beetles, flies,
wasps, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds
and bats
 Many of pollinators are specialists, narrowly
focused on feeding from the flowers of a
single species or genus of plants.
 But there are many generalists as well –
not as well studied
© Project SOUND
Diadasia (cactus) bees.
Also pollinate some local
mallows, some sunflowers,
evening primroses

21. Shade trees with scented
flowers: Sonoran
 Desert willow (* Chilopsis linearis)
 Paloverdes (*Parkinsonia spp.)
 Mesquites (*Prosopis spp)
 Prunus species
 Catclaw acacia (* Senegalia greggii)
© Project SOUND
https://publish.extension.org/mastergardener/tag/xeriscaping/
https://www.forms-surfaces.com/projects/desert-botanical-garden http://www.plantmaster.com/gardens/eplant.php?plantnum=253

22. Desert understory plants can also provide
scent & habitat (at little water cost)
We discussed some good
‘generalist pollinator’ plants in
February & March
© Project SOUND
Acton brittlebush
Creosote bush

23. © Project SOUND
* Palmer’s Penstemon – Penstemon palmeri

24. © Project SOUND
* Palmer’s Penstemon – Penstemon palmeri
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7177,7483,0,7541
http://www.flickr.com/photos/facilitybikeclub/3609173980/
 Mojave Desert foothills/mountains to UT,
AZ, NM
 Washes, roadsides, canyon floors in scrub
to pinyon-juniper
 AKA ‘Wild Pink Snapdragon’

25. © Project SOUND
Palmer’s Penstemon: one tall penstemon
 Size:
 3-5+ ft tall
 2-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial
wildflower
 Erect stems with leaves
primarily basal
 Foliage:
 Distinctive blue or gray-
green
 Fleshy; shapes typical or
penstemon (triangular &
toothed)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Penstemon_palmeri

26. © Project SOUND
Flowers are out of an
English garden
 Blooms:
 Late spring to summer
 Long bloom season – 4+
weeks
 Flowers:
 Light pink to light lavender
with magenta markings –
very striking
 Flowers on tall, showy
stalks; remind many people
of Foxgloves
 Flowers more open than
most penstemons; sweet
scent
 Make a great cut flowerhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Penstemon_palmeri

27. © Project SOUND
Penstemons like dry
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained; likes sand but
even clays are fine in most years
 pH: any local (up to 8.5)
 Light: full sun to light shade; hot places
 Water:
 Winter: adequate
 Summer: none to little (Zone 1 or 1-2)
once established; taper off after
flowering
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other:
 No mulch or use an inorganic
 May need to tie up the tall stalks
 Let it go to seed to replace itself
 Prune back the dead stalks
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/1874/penstemon-palmeri-palmers-penstemon/

28.  Backs of dry beds, like Foxgloves, for cottage
garden look
 In desert themed of rock gardens; hot, dry,
hard-to-water places
 Massed with native grasses, shrubs
 In the habitat garden (hummingbirds;
butterflies; bumble bees) or scent garden
© Project SOUND
http://bloominrs.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/palmers-penstemon/
Water-wise flower beds
http://www.alplains.com/Catalog9.html
http://navigate.botanicgardens.org/weboi/oecgi2.exe/INET_ECM_D
ispPl?NAMENUM=8464&DETAIL=

29. Many geophytes (bulbs and corms) have
sweet-scented flowers
© Project SOUND

30. Desert perennials work well with Sonoran
desert geophytes, annual wildflowers
© Project SOUND

31. © Project SOUND
*Desert lily – Hesperocallis undulata

32.  Mostly Sonoran (Colorado) Desert in Imperial,
Riverside and San Diego Co.; some also in
Mojave Desert (San Bernardino Co)
 Conspicuous and easily seen as one drives
desert roads, it seems at first glance an
Easter Lily out of place.
© Project SOUND
*Desert lily – Hesperocallis undulata
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
©2017 Jean Pawek
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220006298

33. © Project SOUND
Desert (Ajo) Lily: striking bulb
 Size:
 1-3 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial from a
bulb
 Upright habit of the lilies
 Foliage:
 Leaves basal
 Linear with undulating
margins
 Roots: true bulb
©2008 Neal Kramer
©2008 Steve Matson

34. © Project SOUND
Flowers are fantastic
 Blooms: following winter rains –
Mar-May. Will likely not bloom
every year.
 Flowers:
 White lily flowers on upright
stem
 Flowers up to 3 inches long
 Very sweet fragrance, late
in the day
 Seeds: in fleshy, three-part
‘pod’; can be grown from seed,
but difficult to get to flower
 Vegetative reproduction:
bulblets
http://floressanadoras.cl/75-ml-stock-bottle-
flores-de-california-fes/127-desert-lily-lirio-del-
desierto-hesperocallis-undulata-75-ml-
fes.html

35. © Project SOUND
Native bulb with Sonoran twist
 Soils:
 Texture: very well-drained;
sandy or rocky
 pH: any local – not acidic
 Light:
 Full sun; heat not an issue
 Water:
 Winter: good winter-spring
rains
 Summer: basically dry
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: inorganic or no mulch
Robert Potts © California Academy of Sciences

36. © Project SOUND
Sonoran geophytes
 In rock gardens, desert-themed
gardens
 Pair with desert annuals
 Try it in a pot; difficult except
in its native habitat
©2009 Barry Breckling
©2010 Thomas Stoughton

37. Might do well with Southwestern mock
verbena and/or desert annuals
© Project SOUND
http://dabaldoherbals.blogspot.com/2017/04/pics-of-our-local-desert-wild-flowers.html

38. © Project SOUND
*Southwest mock verbena – Glandularia gooddingii
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GLGO

39. © Project SOUND
Groundcover/fill
 Groundcover under water-wise
trees. Attracts pollinators, birds
 Along walkways, patios; in mixed
planter beds
 As an attractive pot plant; light
scent
©2010 James M. Andre
http://www.amwua.org/pictures/gc-v-gooddingii-1.jpg
http://www.landscape-resources.com/portfolio/groundcoversx/pages/Verbena%20gooddingii-
1.htm

40. Plants parcel out their expensive perfume
 Plants tend to have their scent output at
maximal levels only when the flowers
are ready for pollination and when its
potential pollinators are active as well.
 Plants that maximize their output during
the day are primarily pollinated by bees
or butterflies
 Those that release their fragrance
mostly at night are pollinated by moth
and bats.
 During flower development, newly opened
and young flowers, which are not ready
to function as pollen donors, produce
fewer odors and are less attractive to
pollinators than are older flowers.
© Project SOUND

41. © Project SOUND
*Desert lantern – Oenothera deltoides
http://calscape.org/Oenothera-deltoides-(Dune-Primrose)?srchcr=sc5848d74a17797

42. © Project SOUND
*Desert lantern – Oenothera deltoides
Glenn and Martha Vargas © California Academy of Sciences ©2017 Jean Pawek
 Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin deserts of
southern CA, NV, AZ and UT.
 Sandy, open desert areas, especially near dunes,
below 3500 feet
 Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland,
Valley Grassland, Sagebrush Scrub
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=34991

43. © Project SOUND
Pretty desert annual wildflower
 Size:
 1-3 ft tall
 1-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Annual wildflower
 Low-growing; like vine or
groundcover sometimes
 Foliage:
 Mostly in basal rosette; more
sparse on stems
 Leaves to 4 in. long; hairy and
glandular
 Leaves often coarsely
toothed, gray-green
©2017 Zoya Akulova
Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences
Dried plant forms a
‘birdcage’

44. © Project SOUND
Exceptional flowers
 Blooms: spring or early summer;
usually Mar-May, but sometimes
after summer rains.
 Flowers:
 Large – 3” across
 Very white with yellow center
 Open at dusk, wilt by mid-
morning (turn pink)
 Very sweetly scented –
attract moth pollinators
 Seeds: needs cross-pollination;
the more plants, the better the
seed production
http://www.answers.com/topic/dudleya
Sherry Ballard © California Academy of Sciences
Glenn and Martha Vargas © California Academy of Sciences

45. © Project SOUND
Easy to please
annual wildflower
 Soils:
 Texture: just about any
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Part-shade best; dappled sun
or afternoon shade
 Water:
 Winter: needs good
precipitation or water until
flowers
 Summer: taper off water
with flowering
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: inorganic or no mulch
©2014 Sheryl Creer
Annual wildflowers are easy to
grow, even in climates quite
different from their origin.

46. © Project SOUND
Evening primroses in
the garden
 In scent, white, pollinator and
desert gardens
 Under trees and larger shrubs
 As an unusual pot plant
©2006 Steve Matson
©2014 Sheryl Creer
J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences
http://www.joycesnativescape.com/north-mnt-preserve-exhibit

47. How do plants actually signal with scent?
© Project SOUND

48. The fragrant aromas are due to aroma
chemicals (odorants)
 Small – must be light enough to
be carried in air
 Relatively simple: most are
esters, turpenes, aromatics
and amines
 Interact directly with (bind to)
scent (olfactory) receptors in
insects, humans or animals
 Result in a signal being sent to
the ‘brain’
© Project SOUND

49. Why does a rose
smell like a rose?
 There are many variants of the
simple aroma chemicals
 Simple changes in structure
can change how a simple
odorant ‘smells’ – sometimes
dramatically!
 Natural scents are
combinations of dozens or
more different aroma
chemicals
© Project SOUND
Wood’s rose – Rosa woodsii
Mock orange – Philadelphus lewisii

50. Flower scents are important pollinator
cues and attractants
 Volatiles emitted from flowers
function as both long- and short-
distance attractants; play
prominent role in localization and
selection of flowers by insects
(and probably other pollinators as
well)
 Little is known about how insects
respond to individual components
found within floral scents, but it
is clear that they are capable of
distinguishing among complex
scent mixtures.
© Project SOUND
http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3540
Floral volatiles are essential in
allowing insects to discriminate
among plant species and even
among individual flowers of a
single species.

51. Take home message: the number and variety of
scented flowers influences pollinator diversity
© Project SOUND
http://az.audubon.org/newsroom/news-stories/2013/easy-ways-attract-wildlife-your-
yard
Include some Sonoran scents to increase habitat value

52. So scented flowers increase garden
health – but what do they do for humans?
© Project SOUND

53. Is all that aromatherapy stuff just hype –
or does it really work?
© Project SOUND
http://www.massageandunwind.com/store/p25/Aromatherapy.html

54.  Synthetic aromatics
 Formulated from specific
aroma chemicals in the lab
 Never contain all the
chemicals that produce
the nuanced fragrance of
the real deal
 You get what you pay for;
expensive products
contain more odorants –
smell more ‘real’
© Project SOUNDhttp://nishantaromas.com/
http://airscents.co.za/product/mini-gel-air-freshener-persian-rose/
Rose-scented products: never as complex
as the real thing

55. Rose essential oil?
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-
benefits-of-rose-essential-oil.html
Rose perfume?
Which ‘scent’ is most true to Mother
Nature?
Rose hydrosol
(‘floral water’)?
https://www.ecco-verde.com/biopark-
cosmetics/rose-hydrosol

56. Plants produce ‘essential oils’: what are they?
 Essential oils are volatile, natural, complex
compounds characterized by a strong odor;
formed by aromatic plants as secondary
metabolites.
 Chemically, essential oils are very complex
natural mixtures which can contain about
20–60 odorants – sometimes even more.
 They are generally characterized by 2–3
major components at fairly high
concentrations (20–70%), with other
components present in trace amounts.
 Generally, the major components
determine the biological properties of the
essential oil.
© Project SOUND
The essential oil is what
makes a rose smell like
a rose
https://www.amazon.in/Rose-Jasmine-Lavender-
Essential-Combo/dp/B01HBGR95O

57. © Project SOUND

58. The distillation process: the most common
method for extracting essential oils
© Project SOUND
http://www.baldwins.co.uk/blog/2011/07/how-is-essential-oils-produced/

59. Hydrosols and ‘Floral Waters’
 Made by distilling the whole plant;
contain not only essential oils, but
many other water soluble components
 More true to the essence of the plant
and a more complete representation of
it, chemically.
 Contain the same medicinal properties
as the essential oils, but not as
concentrated, so it can be used in
more applications.
 Can be used as a facial toner/cleanser,
perfume, deodorant or room freshener
- or incorporate into lotions/
homemade soap.
© Project SOUND
the aroma is usually greener,
sharper, and wilder than that
of the corresponding
essential oil
https://www.bodytime.com/rose-hydrosol.html

60. To summarize
 Natural scents are
combinations of dozens or more
different aroma chemicals
 Explains why two roses (or
orange blossom & Mock orange
blossom) smell similar – but
slightly different
 As most perfumes/ scented
products are made with
artificial odorants, they are not
as complex as ‘natural’ scents –
nothing beats the real thing!
 Even essential oils and hydrosols
are not quite the ‘real thing’
(but they are easier to bring
indoors and to use in studies!)
© Project SOUND
Orange blossom
Mock orange – Philadelphus lewisii
http://perfumeshrine.blo
gspot.com/2011/04/perf
umery-materials-neroli-
petit-grain.html

61. Scented flowers can be found in many
parts of California
© Project SOUND

62. ‘Ray Hartman’ and other Ceanothus
© Project SOUND

63. Other local favorites
© Project SOUND
Blue elderberry - Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea
Catalina cherry - Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii
Mock orange – Philadelphus spp.
See our newly-revised lists

64. But maybe we want something to add a
pungent scent to the garden: aromatic foliage
© Project SOUND

65. Despite their complexity, plant scents can be as
recognizable as their other attributes
 The human nose is capable of
recognizing > 100,000 scents.
 Scent in plants comes from
volatile oils found in the
glands of flowers, leaves,
branches, seeds, bark, and, in
some cases, roots.
 More than 3,000 chemically
different oils have been
identified from at least
eighty-seven families of
plants.
© Project SOUND

66. Main families known for aromatic foliage/seeds/
bark (worldwide)  Rutaceae (Rue; Citrus)
 Few natives (Ptelea crenulata)
 Choose Rue or Citrus
 Myrtaceae (Myrtles)
 No natives
 Choose Eucalyptus or Melaleuca
 Zingiberaceae (Ginger)
 No natives
 Choose Ginger root
 Apriaceae (dill, angelica, Lomatium)
 Lauraceae (cinnamon, camphor, bay)
 Asteraceae (sunflowers)
 Lamiaceae (mints)
 Other
© Project SOUND

67. © Project SOUND
California bay – Umbellularia californica

68.  Mountains, foothills of CA (except desert) to OR;
canyons in Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Yellow Pine,
Mixed Evergreen & Redwood Forest, wetland-riparian
 Only native Lauraceae; but avocado, Camphor tree &
Sweetbay grown here
 First collected 1830’s (S.F.); 1882 (LA Co.). Collected by
Leroy Abrams, Alice Eastwood, John Thomas Howell,
W.L. Jepson, S.B. Parish, many others
© Project SOUND
California bay – Umbellularia californica
©1995 Saint Mary's College of California
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/um
bcal/all.html
http://treesofsantacruzcounty.blogspot.com/2013/07/umbellularia-californica.html

69. © Project SOUND
Large tree with attractive, aromatic foliage
 Size:
 25-75 ft tall (may be smaller)
 25-60 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Woody, evergreen tree
 Shape varies with light, moisture
 Larger, mounded trees in sunny
spots with good water
 Foliage:
 Leaves simple, lanceolate, glossy
and very pungent
 Can be used as seasoning and also
medicinally
 Roots: wide & deep
J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences

70. © Project SOUND
Flowers: small; fruits: edible
 Blooms: main bloom in late
winter/early spring. May bloom
sporadically Dec-May
 Flowers:
 Small, yellow-green, in
clusters
 Not really showy
 Attract pollinators (much like
an avocado)
 Fruits:
 Like small avocados
©2008 Neal Kramer

71. Edible fruit, seeds
 Fleshy fruit
 Eaten fresh (like an avocado)
 Quickly goes bad; some trees
have better fruits than others
 Seed
 Remove all green, fleshy part
(what we eat in avocados)
 Air dry the ‘pits’
 Store dry pits in paper bag
 Roast at 350° F for 1 to 1 ½
hours (single layer; check every
20 min.; will be brown inside)
 Grind as use like cocoa powder
(tastes like chocolate + coffee)
© Project SOUND
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbellularia
©2009 Anna Bennett

72. © Project SOUND
Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: most
 pH: any local, 5.0-8.0
 Light: best with part shade except
on immediate coast or in foothills
 Water:
 Winter: needs good, adequate
rainfall - supplement
 Summer: needs at least
occasional water (once a month,
deep – Water Zone 2 to 2-3
best)
 Fertilizer: OK with occasional
light fertilizer
 Other: fine with leaf or other
organic mulch
©2015 Zoya Akulova

73. © Project SOUND
CA Bay: in the garden
 Shade tree or large shrub (can be
pruned either way) – evergreen
 Large hedge/screen
 Can even be grown in a large
planter of container
©2012 Scott Batiuk
©2015 Zoya Akulova
http://www.plantmaster.com/gardens/e
plant.php?plantnum=1673
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-
detail/umbellularia-californica

74. Advice: smell this tree
before you buy it
© Project SOUND
https://bss.lacity.org/UrbanForestry/StreetTree/UmbellulariaCalifornica.htm
https://inlandvalleygardenplanner.org/plants/umbelularia-californica/
Aromatics affect people differently

75. The human sense of smell is yet more
interesting – due to our complex bodies
 No two people smell the same
scent exactly the same
 People experience and remember
the same scent differently
 Some scents have powerful
effects on our physiology, our
emotions and our sense of well-
being. Some of those effects
are likely innate.
© Project SOUND
And scientific studies are revealing some tantalizing
clues about why

76. Not surprisingly, olfaction (smell) is our
most primitive sense
 Scent cues have been essential for
human survival during most of human
existence.
 Animals (insects to humans) use their
olfactory system to identify food,
mates and predators
 Scent cues provide both sensual
pleasure as well as warnings of danger
(spoiled food; fire; chemical hazards; a
hungry bear)
 As with most animals, the human scent-
sensing organs (receptors; brain
connections) are ancient
© Project SOUND
http://www.gardenandgreenhouse.net/articles/march-
2008/hydroponics-101-9/

77. Smell: primitive and powerful sense
 Scent cues inform even before
other cues – they function as an
early warning system
 It’s not surprising to find that the
olfactory system is linked to key
physiologic responses, including
those mediated by hormones and
neurotransmitters
 The nervous system provides the
link between a scent a body’s
response
© Project SOUND
http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Aromatherapy--Encyclopedia-of-Alternative-Medicine

78.  The olfactory tract has
direct connections with at
least five areas of the brain
 These areas involved in:
 Perception of smell
 Memory and decoding of
individual scents
 Physiologic (visceral)
responses to a scent
 Emotional responses
 Complex scent memories
© Project SOUND
https://www.thoughtco.com/olfactory-system-4066176
https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/workbook/activity/page?context=21af2f2e80020ca6018edbaaeb4b8ee5
And it gets more interesting!

79. Scent and
traditional medicine
 Use of scent is part of nearly
all medical traditions – going
back thousands of years
(aromatherapy is not new)
 Gardens in many parts of the
world grew plants used for
healing – including aromatics
 Similar plants used for specific
conditions across cultures
 Some cultures even ‘prescribed’
visits to healing gardens or
plants
© Project SOUND
https://phytatech.com/Test-ValueAdded-Terpene-Testing.php

80. Traditional delivery modes made use of
the nature of essential oils
 As teas or infusions
 Scent inhaled (like aroma therapy)
 In baths
 Smudging - French hospitals, which
use much more aromatherapy than
ours, used a rosemary/juniper smudge
as a disinfectant until fairly recently.
 Incense Cedar (as well as juniper and
cypress) traditionally used in sweat
lodge ceremonies as spiritual purifiers
and for the attraction of good energy,
while eliminating negative energies.
© Project SOUND
http://siskiyouwildcrafting.com/cedar.html

81. The experience of scent is individualistic
 Yet some scents have been
purported to cause certain
effects for a long time – and in
many different cultures:
 Lavender – calming
 Mint – energizing
 Sage can reduce mental
fatigue, stress and mental
exhaustion.
 Is there a chemical basis for
these effects?
 Can specific odorants be used
therapeutically?
© Project SOUND
http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2011/10/the-
floral-fragrance-note-both-you-and-he-will-love.html

82.  Various essential oils have been used
medicinally at different periods in history.
 Medical applications for medicinal oils range
from skin treatments to remedies for cancer
 Often based solely on historical accounts of
use of essential oils for these purposes.
 Claims for the efficacy of medical treatments
and treatment of cancers in particular, are now
subject to regulation in most countries.
© Project SOUND
Unfortunately, good evidence is still
scanty for many aromatic treatments

83. Why is so little known about the actual
effects of many plant compounds?
 Many compounds; we’re just beginning
to understand their functions in
plants
 Less $$ for plant than animal
research
 Current skepticism about ‘herbal
medicine
 Volatile & reactive – many break-down
compounds which may be the active
forms
 Some information is proprietary –
pharmaceutical industry
© Project SOUND
 Some of the ‘effects’
are difficult to
measure:
 Happen quickly
 Happen internally
 May involve moods,
emotions, etc.

84. Scents can produce immediate
physiological effects: proven
 blood pressure
 muscle tension
 pupil dilation
 skin temperature
 pulse rate
 brain activity levels in
various parts of the brain
© Project SOUND
Most of these effects can be explained by levels of
hormones and/or neurotransmitters

85. Physiological and Psychological
Response to Floral Scent. HortScience
January 2013 vol. 48
© Project SOUND
 26 young Japanese males
 Exposed to unscented air and
air infused with the scent of
plum blossoms
 Measured effect of exposure
on:
 Blood pressure and pulse rate
 Brain activity (certain areas of
brain)
 Mood (measured by standard
questions)
http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/48/1/82.full

86. Physiological and Psychological
Response to Floral Scent.
 Fragrance activated the cerebral areas in
charge of movement, speech, and memory
functions and stimulated the SNS activity in
ways related to excitement.
 Support findings that horticultural therapy
tended to promote speech, communication,
and thereby social interaction and helped
prevent deterioration of the mental abilities
of individuals with Alzheimer's disease in
long-term care
 Psychologically, plum blossom fragrance
enhanced vigor while reducing depressed
feelings and evoked cheerful, exciting, and
active images. This helps explain the common
experience that plant fragrances have a
positive effect on our mood and emotions.
© Project SOUND
https://sequinsandcherryblossom.com/2016/02/1
5/plum-blossom-or-cherry-blossom-which-is-it/
The feeling of ‘spring’ –
direct effect of odorants or
due to scent memories?

87. From: Effects of Fragrance on Emotions: Moods and Physiology
Chem Senses. 2005;30(suppl_1):i248-i249. doi:10.1093/chemse/bjh208
Chem Senses | Chemical Senses Vol. 30 No. suppl 1 © Oxford University
Press 2005; all rights reserved

88. Pleasant scents can even influence behaviors:
exactly how is still being worked out
 Make us want to spend
money or gamble
 Make workers more alert
and productive
 Make us more likely to
interact with others: this is
currently being applied in
nursing homes and with
dementia patients
© Project SOUND
https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/health-wellbeing/mind/how-smell-
affects-your-body-and-mind.aspx
You don’t have to understand all the mechanisms before you apply a
‘treatment’. But you do have to provide good evidence of an effect.

89. When considering a plant for the garden,
experience the effect of its scent
 Visit the plant in a garden or
nursery (don’t just depend on
photos or descriptions)
 Experience the plant fully
 Tune out other distractions
 Close your eyes
 Smell the flower or foliage. Crush a
leaf.
 What is your immediate response ?
Like/dislike
 What effects does it have:
physiologic? Mental? Mood?
© Project SOUND

90. Fill sunny areas with fragrant foliage
plants you like: Sunflower family
 Artemisias
 Baccharis (esp. salicifolia)
 Ericamerias
 Grindelias
 Plucheas
 Pseudognaphalium
californicum

91. Consider the many other plants with
fragrant foliage: Mint family
 Native mints
 Agastache
 Clinopodium
 Lepechinia
 Mentha
 Monardella
 Pycnanthemum
 Salvia
 Stachys
 Trichostema
 Non-native mints
 Rosmarinus officinalis
 Thymus vulgaris

92. Fragrant flowering shrubs for shade
* Yellow Bush Penstemon – Keckiella antirrhinoides
Wild Roses – Rosa spp.
Mock oranges – Philadelphus spp.
The native Verbenas

93. © Project SOUND
*White pitchersage – Lepechinia calycina
©1995 Saint Mary's College of California

94. © Project SOUND
*White pitchersage – Lepechinia calycina
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=30500
©1995 Saint Mary's College of California
 Coastal foothills and Sierra Nevada foothills from
Ventura Co, north
 Endemic to California; common in chaparral,
foothill woodland plant communities.
 Sites are dry for their area (but the area is mush
wetter than ours)
http://www.cnpsci.org/Calendar/Events.htm

95. © Project SOUND
White pitchersage: like its fragrant sibling
 Size:
 4-8 ft tall
 3-6+ ft wide
 Growth form:
 Part-woody, evergreen (or nearly so)
sub-shrub
 Irregular to mounded habit
 Foliage:
 Leaves lance-like, thick; medium to
pale green
 Sticky-resinous; very fragrant (like
our local Fragrant pitchersage)
 Make wonderful hot or iced tea;
soothing for a feverish cold
©2015 Neal Kramer
https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/379--
lepechinia-calycina

96. © Project SOUND
Captivating flowers
 Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-
May in S. CA.
 Flowers:
 Hanging flowers like a pouring
pitcher (hence common name)
 Very pretty and unusual in
bloom
 Flowers white or very pale lilac
– paler than Fragrant
pitchersage
 Attract bees, butterflies,
hummers
 Seeds: large, round seeds; easy to
start from seed
©2016 Keir Morse
©2016 Neal Kramer

97. © Project SOUND
Plant Requirements
 Soils:
 Texture: prefers a well-drained
soil, but adaptable
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Best with afternoon shade in
L.A. County
 Water:
 Winter: adequate
 Summer: occasional to
moderate – best with monthly
deep water (Water Zone 2,
even 2-3)
 Fertilizer: not needed, but
probably fine with occasional
 Other: organic mulch fine
©2007 Christopher Bronny
Prune out old stems in winter;
pinch-prune new growth to
make plants more bushy

98. © Project SOUND
White pitchersage
 Best as an accent plant, in part-
shade or bright shade
 Shady hillsides or terraces; great
to have source for tea
 ? Try in a large pot plant
https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/379--lepechinia-calycina
Be sure you like the
fragrance – tastes
differ!

99. Lepechinia calycina
‘Rocky point’
 Natural cultivar from Rocky
Point in Monterey County
 Compact habit
 3-4’ tall x 4-5’ wide
 Part sun to full sun (cool, coastal
gardens)
 Pretty, white flowers
 Takes heavy pruning
© Project SOUND

100. Scent is often the most powerfully sensual
experience in the garden
 The scent-sensing part of the
brain is very ancient; the effects
can be powerful
 Floral (and other scent) memories
can last a lifetime – and are among
the strongest memories
 Not all people experience the same
scent in the same way:
 Biologic differences – different
receptors; age- and sex-related
differences
 The memories that particular
scents evoke
© Project SOUND
https://www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com/stop-and-smell-the-roses/
https://travel.aarp.org/articles-tips/articles/info-2018/flower-and-garden-shows.html

101. © Project SOUND
Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across a
thousand miles and all the years we have lived. - Helen Keller
http://www.sepulvedaba
sinwildlife.org/vegeman
age.html

102. We tend to remember some scents
 Novel and/or strong scents
(good or bad) – Vivid scents
 Scents that are associated
with strong emotions (Vivid
persons or Vivid events)
© Project SOUND
https://obrag.org/2010/08/2-types-of-skunks-in-the-
neighborhood-one-walks-upright/

103. Practical applications:
Therapy gardens
 Pleasant scents make us happy –
we become more sociable, and
even feel better
 ‘Scents that elderly people
remember fondly – “old-
fashioned” flowers like lilacs,
honeysuckle, gardenia, mock
orange, roses – can evoke positive
feelings and often facilitate
conversations, thus providing
something important but often
lacking in places like nursing
homes: Personal connection.’
© Project SOUND
http://my.chicagobotanic.org/education/therapy/the-benefits-of-
outdoor-spaces-for-the-elderly/

104. Some scented non-natives you might
want to consider
 Dianthus
 Heliotrope (Blue/Purple
varieties)
 Nicotiana
 Petunia
 Stock
 Sweet alyssum
© Project SOUND

105. Gardening for the
five senses
 "The greatest gift of the
garden is the restoration of
the five senses.“ - Hanna Rion
 All of our senses are
influenced by the sights,
sounds, smell, touch (and
even taste!) of a garden.
 The best gardens are
designed to hit the ‘sweet
spot’; enough stimulation and
enough repetition
© Project SOUND
https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/83298297/list/scents-and-sensibility-the-
aromatherapy-garden

106. Successful scent gardens don’t need to
be large or
complex
© Project SOUND
http://www.wendystokes.com/garden-sensory.php

107. They just need to use each of the senses
to best advantage
© Project SOUND
https://www.fourseasons.com/magazine/discover/lorenzo-villoresi-italian-perfumes

108. Tricks for using scent in garden:
Cambridge University Scented Garden
 To help collect and intensify
the scents, the site was
scooped out to create a
protected well.
 Along the north side of the
plot, the planting bed is
raised so that all visitors
can encounter the scented
foliage and flowers at close
range
 Designed to be fragrant
even in the depths of winter
© Project SOUND
http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/Botanic/Place.aspx?p=27&ix=33&pid=0
&prcid=0&ppid=0

109. Egeskov Castle Scent Garden - Denmark
 Formal hardscape contains the
plants, provides easy access
 Raised beds
 Massed plantings
 ‘The Scent Garden is a tactile
area where you are free to touch
the plants in order to enjoy the
full experience of their
different aromatic qualities.’
© Project SOUND
https://www.egeskov.dk/en/scent-garden

110. We can easily apply these tricks in our
own gardens
© Project SOUND
https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr/Harlow-Carr-in-pictures/Harlow-Carr-in-
summer
https://littlesproutslearning.co/e
asy-5-steps-planting-sensory-
garden-kids/

111. The oenotheras are a good choice for
smaller, shady places
Evening primroses open at dusk and
have very sweet, musky fragrance

112.  Wallflowers are popular in
English cottage gardens
 There, they grow well in the
dry cracks and in the loose
mortar in walls - hence the
name “wallflower”
 Sweetly scented
 Several species are CA
natives; the non-native
cultivars are also lovely
The genus Erysimum (Wallflowers)

113. Strand Wallflower - Erysimum insulare
ssp. suffrutescens

114. Strand Wallflower  “Common on the sand-dunes
along the seashore. Flowering
nearly the year round”
LeRoy Abrams Flora of Los
Angeles and Vicinity, 1904
 "In sand dunes and cliffs."
Ivan Johnston - Flora of the
San Gabriel Mountains, 1919
 a common component of the
original coastal dune scrub
habitats
 Occurs from Morro Bay to Los
Angeles County.
 Occurs on Anacapa, Santa
Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San
Miguel islands
http://sidsite.nybg.org/herbim/1240/v-124-00185211big.jpg

115. © Project SOUND
Western Wallflower – Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum
http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/erysimum_capitatum.html

116. © Project SOUND
Western Wallflower – Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum
 Grows in the west – Texas
to British Columbia
 Found in much of CA
 is a common member of
many plant communities,
generally away from the
coast, below 8000'
 Also called Sand dune
Wallflower – but don’t let
that discourage you!
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Erysimum+capitatum+var.+capitatum

117. © Project SOUND
Flowers are fantastic
 Blooms: spring – Mar-May in
western L.A. County
 Flowers:
 Bright golden yellow; quite
showy
 Typical shape for Brassicaceae
(Mustard); parts of 4
 Open ‘up the stem’
 Attracts bees, hummingbirds &
other pollinators
 Sweetly scented – lovely
addition to scented gardenhttp://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/westernwallflower.html
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/wallfl3.htm

118. http://vtgcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/pages/Selby%20Gardens/Selby-03-BC7-wallflower.JPG
Wallflowers make a cheerful addition to mixed
beds
They can also be
successfully grown
in large pots

119. But what if yellow & orange aren’t your thing?
© Project SOUND
http://janetqueen.com/erysimum-bowles-mauve/
https://www.gardenia.net/garden/A-Lovely-Mediterranean-Border-with-Erysimum-
Artemisia-and-Calamintha
There are some great
purple cultivars that can
be grown from seed

120. © Project SOUND
*Headland (White) wallflower
Erysimum concinnum
©2011 Steven Perry

121. © Project SOUND
*Headland (White) wallflower
Erysimum concinnum
©1995 Saint Mary's College of California
©2013 Robert Steers/NPS
 Coastal scrub from Marin Co., CA to Curry Co., OR
 Coastal dunes, bluffs or prairies
 Collected 1899 by Alice Eastwood
 Also called: Erysimum menziesii (Hook.) Wettst.
ssp. concinnum (Eastw.) R.A. Price

122. © Project SOUND
Characteristics of White wallflower
 Size:
 To 1 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Short-lived perennial or annual
 Mounded form
 Herbaceous; dies back in dry
season
 Foliage:
 Simple, spatulate or oblong
leaves; starting in basal rosette
 Nice medium blue-green
 Very garden-like
©2011 Steven Perry
©2015 Jean Pawek

123. © Project SOUND
Sweet flowers
 Blooms:
 In spring; usually Mar-Apr in S.
Ca
 Long bloom season – flowers
open sequentially
 Flowers:
 White or cream-colored
 Dense around flowering stalk
 Sweet scent; and old-fashioned
appeal
 Wonderful cut flower
 Seeds:
 Many small seeds in fleshy,
oblong pod (typical Brassica)
 Re-seeds well on bare ground
©2011 Steven Perry
©2012 Jason Matthias Mills ©2014 Zoya Akulova

124. © Project SOUND
Easy to grow: like
an annual
 Soils:
 Texture: not particular; fine with
sandy soils
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Part-shade really best
 Dappled shade; afternoon shade
 Water:
 Winter: needs good winter rains;
supplement as needed
 Summer: taper off water after
seeds set
 Fertilizer: not needed except in
containers; probably would accept
light fertilizer in ground
 Other: light leaf mulch or none
©2011 Steven Perry

125. © Project SOUND
Wallflowers: beloved
by gardeners
 In shady spots under trees
 In rock gardens (mostly in wetter
climates) or herb gardens
 In flower beds for early flowers
 In containers
©2015 Jean Pawek
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Erysimum_menzi
esii_ssp._concinnum
https://plantlust.com/plants/11998/erysimum-concinnum/

126. Lucy Maud Montgomery Garden – A
Children's Garden of the Senses
 Scented flowering plants
planted in masses (so you
won’t miss the aromas)
 Scented plants are at ‘nose
level’
 Plenty of seating right next
to the plants
 Good signage – ‘smell me’
signs
© Project SOUND
http://threedogsinagarden.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-lucy-maud-montgomery-
garden.html

127. Making the most of floral fragrances
 Plant in enclosed areas – to
concentrate the aroma and
help it to last
 Consider the wind: plant where
breezes will blow the
fragrance into a window,
toward a seating area
© Project SOUND
https://www.marthastewart.com/337398/small-space-garden-ideas

128. Lilac verbena (Verbena lilacena) has sweetly
fragrant flowers
 Can even be grown in large
containers (best with
afternoon shade)
© Project SOUND

129. CA Wild Rose – Rosa californica
http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/wildflower_watch_wk18.htm

130. © Project SOUND
Interior Rose – Rosa woodsii ssp ultramontana

131.  Much of w. North America –
British Columbia to CA/NM
 In CA: High Cascade Range, High
Sierra Nevada, San Gabriel
Mountains, San Bernardino
Mountains, Great Basin Floristic
Province, Desert Mountains
 Yellow Pine Forest, Subalpine
Forest, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland,
Joshua Tree Woodland, wetland-
riparian, 3500 - 11500 feet
 Moist or seasonally wet
 ? Ssp or var.??
© Project SOUND
Interior Rose – Rosa woodsii ssp ultramontana
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College
http://archive.is/JkiE

132. © Project SOUND
Interior Rose: much like CA Wild Rose
 Size:
 5-8+ ft tall
 Spreading; can form thickets
 Growth form:
 Woody shrub
 Upright to mounded with age
 Stress deciduous
 Sparse, straight prickles
 Foliage:
 Typical rose leaf (compound);
smaller than garden rose
 Medium green; may be yellow
in fall
 Roots: suckers from roots – not
rhizomes (as once thought)
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

133. © Project SOUND
Flowers: the best a
wild rose can offer
 Blooms: spring/summer usually
May-June in our area
 Flowers:
 Single rose
 Pale to medium pink
 Very fragrant – among the
best
 Wonderful tea, potpourri,
flavoring
 Fruits (hips):
 Red when ripe
 The best tasting of any –
really premium (great habitat)
©2008 Thomas Stoughton
http://web.ewu.edu/ewflora/Rosaceae/Rosa%20woodsii.html
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/3214/rosa-woodsii-woods-rose/

134. © Project SOUND
Pretty adaptable
 Soils:
 Texture: better with medium to
coarse/rocky
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun (coast) to part-shade
(hot, inland)
 Best flowers/fruits w/ at least
morning sun
 Water:
 Winter: needs good
rain/irrigation
 Summer: fairly drought tolerant
but best with some summer
water (Water Zone 2 or 2-3)
 Fertilizer: none or light (1/2
strength ok)
 Other: organic mulch OK©2012 Jean Pawek
©2001 Gary A. Monroe

135. © Project SOUND
Inland Rose: good if you’ve
got the right spot
 Good for N & E-facing slopes - even
with no water
 Barriers/hedges/hedgerows
 Large shrub at back of beds
 Try in a large container
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/319966748511991424/?lp=true
https://www.seedman.com/rosa.htm
http://www.finegardening.com/article/ben-joannes-garden-in-rural-
new-mexico

136. Botanic Garden – Oslo, Norway
© Project SOUND
Formal hardscape
makes the garden
look tidy (some
aromatic plants are a
little on the wild side!)

137. Wild roses can be
contained!
 Big pots
 Move to part-shade in hottest
times
 Water and fertilize
 Prune heavily when dormant
https://brendenstudio.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/wild-rose/

138. Making the most of floral fragrances
 Plant fragrant plants close to
where you sit or walk; some
plants only release their
fragrance when crushed
 Plant fragrant plants at nose
level; pots and raised beds
near seating areas are great
 Consider the time of day that
flowers release their
fragrance when making garden
choices
© Project SOUND
http://www.si-garden-design.com/page/container-garden-design.aspx

139. Scented foliage plants that release their
fragrance only when crushed
 Mint Family
 Salvias
 Trichostemas
 Minties: Clinopodium,
Mentha, Pycnanthemum,
Monardella
 Ribes
 Anemopsis californica
 Artemisia douglasiana
© Project SOUND
Yerba Buena – Clinopodium douglasii
Mountain mint – Pycnanthemum californicum
With the exception of the Salvias, most
like a little shade

140. © Project SOUND
*Licorice fern – Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences

141.  Chiefly near the coast from AK to
the San Francisco Bay
 Tree trunks; mossy logs & rocks;
moist banks and rocky cliffs
 Collected by Alice Eastwood
© Project SOUND
*Licorice fern – Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences ©1995 Saint Mary's College of California
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500
977

142. © Project SOUND
Licorice fern: typical polypody in some ways
 Size:
 < 1 ft tall
 1-3+ ft wide (sends up new shoots,
slowly spreading)
 Growth form:
 Fern, from stout rhizomes
 Drought-deciduous
 Foliage:
 Simple, compound leaves of
polypodies
 Roots:
 Stout rhizomes – may be above-
ground
 Taste/smell like sweet licorice; use
for tea
©2015 James Gonsman

143. © Project SOUND
Fern: sporulates
 Sporulates:
 In the cool, moist weather
of late fall or winter
 Spores:
 Sori rounded to round
 Usually closer to midrib
 Can be propagated by spores
 Vegetative reproduction:
 Sends up new leaves (fronds)
from the rhizome
 Fairly easy to propagate by
dividing the rhizome
©1995 Saint Mary's College of California

144. © Project SOUND
Plant Requirements
 Soils:
 Texture: most
 pH: acidic
 Light:
 Part-shade to shady; grows on
the forest floor
 Fine on north-facing aspect or
under trees
 Water:
 Winter: moist
 Summer: moist; regular water
until late summer
 Fertilizer: needs soil high in
organics; use leaf mulch
 Other: organic mulch, or moss;
fertilize weekly in growing season

145. © Project SOUND
Moist, shady spots
 Under shady bird dripper,
fountains, etc.
 In a fern grotto or moist rock
garden; scent garden
 Probably best as a pot plant on a
shady porch or patio
Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences
©2016 Julie Kierstead Nelson
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Image:Polyp
odium_glycyrrhiza_05.JPGhttps://www.eastbaytimes.com/2010/01/
19/ferns-arent-as-finnicky-as-we-think/

146. The joys of a small
scent garden
© Project SOUND
http://heddleandhook.blogspot.com/2014/05/dun-gardens-tour.html
https://crataegus.com/2010/01/25/seattle-accent-plant-expedition/
http://folat.org/5-outdoor-plants-must-haves-in-your-garden/small-backyard-garden-
decor-with-vertical-gardening-and-climb-plants/
Fragrant plants make a
garden memorable. Vivid
scents = vivid memories

147. Using Licorice fern roots
 Rub roots to release scent
 Chew roots for quick burst of
sweet licorice (gets a more bitter
after-taste).
 Chew and swallow juice for sore
throat, cough or cold (kind of like
a cough drop)
 Use fresh or dry for tea, syrup –
very nice flavor
 Use fresh (chopped finely) or
dried as flavoring agent
 Make Licorice fern liqueur
© Project SOUND
http://www.seattlemag.com/home-and-garden/spring-foraging-
licorice-fern
https://tryoncreek.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/lucky-licorice-ferns/

148. Successful gardens provide fragrance all
year long: sometimes in unexpected ways
© Project SOUND

149. Traditional
methods of using
scented foliage
 Simple
 Hanging herbs
 Simmering herbs
 Scented wood for drawers
 Bath ‘teas’
 Hand rubs
 Slightly more complex
 Smudge sticks
 Sachets/scent pillows
 Bath salts
 Potpourri/infusers
 Infused oils for massage
 Scents/flavors/oils
 Hydrosols and essential oils
 Soaps
 Candles
 Perfumes
© Project SOUND

150. Commercially available products with CA
native scented materials
 Dried herbs or flowers
 Teas
 Wood
 Essential Oils
 Hydrosols/Floral Waters
 Scented soaps, bath
products, lotions, candles
using CA native plant
materials
© Project SOUND
http://www.nhrorganicoils.com/products.p
hp?id=2874
http://www.lalaessentialoils.com/yarrow-
essential-oil.html
http://www.aromatherapyoilsuk.co.uk/yarrow-essential-oil-blue-yarrow-achillea-millefolium/
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrosols-Yarrow-Organic-200-mL/dp/B006FXK87Q

151. Or make your own from your own garden
© Project SOUND

152. Plants make powerful drugs. They work on our minds
and bodies in ways we’re just beginning to understand
Take home messages:
1. Each individual’s reaction to a
scent is unique
2. Some reactions are likely innate:
specific chemicals trigger
physiologic responses
3. Some reactions are likely mediated
– in complex ways – by an
individual’s scent memories
4. Pleasant scents – particularly
florals – make us feel happier (and
happy is important for health)
© Project SOUND
https://hecticparents.com/2015/11/21/is-being-spiritual-healthy/

153. More take-home
messages 5. We can train ourselves (and our
kids) to be more aware of scents.
Don’t let extraordinary abilities
go to waste.
6. Take the time to really savor the
scents we like: turn off the
distractions, close our eyes and
experience a scent and our
reaction(s) to it
7. You should ‘try out’ scents before
you decide to include them in
your garden
8. Expect to find scent playing a
greater role in health promotion
in the future
© Project SOUND
https://www.brooklinelibrary.org/events/event/sensing-spring-storytime/

154. Visit gardens with scented plants (hint:
Theodore Payne Garden Tour)
© Project SOUND

155. Consider becoming a Mother Nature’s
Backyard Gardenista
© Project SOUND

156. Resolve to include more scented plants in
your garden
 Because they make us happy
 Because they probably make us
healthier and more social
 Because we can use many of them in
the kitchen, in potpourri and to scented
products
 Because some of them attract some of
our coolest pollinators: native bees,
butterflies, moths, hummingbirds
 Because some of them repel pest
insects (particularly helpful in vegetable
garden)
 Because a garden that engages the 5
senses is more interesting, more
engaging and more vivid.
© Project SOUND
https://littlesproutslearning.co/easy-5-steps-planting-
sensory-garden-kids/