lördag 7 augusti 2010

Tuberose - Polianthes Tuberosa



Every time I goes in and out through the front door I can feel a wonderful scent. It´s a rather weak, but still very alluring scent. Since it´s so alluring most of the times, I bend down to feel the scent even better.


Usually I wrote about perfumes here, but sometimes I can write about some other things like scents I remember from my childhood or some travels or other special occations. Sometimes I write about general toughts I´ve got considering perfumes etc. Of course perfumes itself are the central piece in my hobby, but over all I find scents and fragrances very interesting.


Indoor I feel inspired by the idea of using fragrances in home decorating, so much in fact that I bought a scented candle for about 50 euro and litterary burned the money! Since I´m also interested in plants, flowers and gardening I spend some money on that hobby to. And this spring I´ve got my lovely tuberose-bulbs...


In fact they have been very easy to care for. From three bulbs, one is blossoming right now (the one next to the front door) and an other is soon blossoming, while the third one (the only of the three that is planted in a pot of it´s own) seem to have develop a plentyfull of greenery instead of flowers. From this I learn that tuberose plants don´t want to much attention in form of water and manour. Tuberoses are relatives to hyacinth, and they don´t want to much attention either.


And the smell? The smell! Oh yes! From some distant, I can smell similarities to Carnal Flower, but a very weak Carnal Flower. In the floral scent there is elements of green and some menthol like notes, the eucalyptus note in Carnal Flower is very genuin. I dont have much experience in natural tuberose scent besides my own plants and among the tuberose scents Ive tried Carnal Flower is closest to the real thing. The chewinggum note you can sense in many tuberose fragrances I can=t find in the actual flower.


Of course it smell in a different way when I lean closer. If I held the flower in my hand and smell close up I can almsot feel that burning sensation reminding of jetfuel and turpentine also common in some tuberose scents like Tubereuse Criminelle. This burning scent is the top note of the actual flower and it is followed by a multifaced floral scent with elements of creamy alsmot tropical, sweet notes and there is also a kind of tranquilising scent, almost reminding of clove but much weaker. Depending on when in the blossoming they smell a little different, even the buds have a scent, even though it is weak. The flowers almost over blossomed have that humid, almost rotting scent of decay you can also find in some tuberose scents.


You can figure out that I have spend some time close to my tuberose plant, and soon tuberose No 2 starts to blossom as well! I think I could sit besides a flowering tuberose plant for hours and be totally contempt with just smelling. There is not totally wrong that the scent from tuberose is narcotic and arousing.


Longvity, well yes, I strated to sense the smell from the buds about 2 weeks ago and still counting, so the lasting power is huuuuuge! And for being a 100% natyral smell I say the sillage is great to. I recommend everyone that have a least a balcony to grow their own tuberose plant, it is easy and considering what you got for your money, it is a bargain.


Tuberose can not stand cold, so when autumn comes I have to dig my plants up and try to store them during winter. I use to keep my dahlia bulbs in the refrigerator during winter and I think I will try the same with the tuberoses. And then I just have to wait and see.


I understand that most of you read this blog because of the perfumes, but do you have other interests that borders to your perfume hobby? Is there even a certain hobby that your perfume interest was born from?

Sorry for the lack of some signs during this artcle, something is fishy with my keyboard.


Pic My own tuberose plant

5 kommentarer:

  1. It's really not fair that I'm the first to respond to your question...because, whether by accident or through purposeful musing, I find a connection between almost ALL of my interests and perfume! :)

    That said, of course gardening...and cooking...and my deep curiosity about the world of cocktails and barchef-ery...but also music and film...all are easy to link to my interest in perfume. That, and the connection between art and commerce.

    How lovely your tuberose sounds. Despite all the gardening I do, I've never had my own live one of those, not when I was so, erm...olfactorally sensitive.

    Lovely post.

    SvaraRadera
  2. Last year I bought one tuberose bulb and had four blossoms from it. This year I replanted my bulbs and have lots of greenery. Not blossoms yet. I think the blossoms smell delightful.

    This is my first visit to your blog and I agree with ScentScelf in that there is a connection in all my hobbies with perfume.

    SvaraRadera
  3. ScentScelf: Me too, most of my interests involves art, imagination, colors, scents, beauty and mixes between them... and I love mixing cocktails also. :)

    SvaraRadera
  4. Lisa BTB: I hope my bulbs survive the winter, how did you stored yours?

    Nice with a new visitor. I hope you´ll enjoy it here. :)

    SvaraRadera
  5. I put them in a little pouch made of a net-type material and stored them in a cabinet in the dark. We have cold winters also, so I had to dig them up and store them inside.

    SvaraRadera