Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The Scent of Wet Lavender

It rained here last Saturday and Sunday - a long steady rain for a few hours. That rarely happens in the desert, but it's really greened up my back yard.

As I happily walked around my backyard checking out the wet plants, I was struck by the enticing aroma of wet French Lavender. This quart sized pot that Dr Desert Flower and I planted 2 years ago is now the size of 5 piece drum set. When whetted naturally by the rain, the scent is amazing. It doesn't OVERWHELM you like walking into a Bath & Body Works store does. It draws you in, closer, and a deep inhale... it's really a beautiful thing.

20 years from now, someone will figure out how to "upload fragrances"authentically. But until then, words and images will have to try and suffice to explain this beautiful phenomenon.

2 comments:

  1. lucky you. my lavender keeps dying. perhaps next year.

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  2. I've found lavender to be a fickle plant here. There's sun loving French lavender (like they grow in vast fields from Provence to Toulouse), partial shade preferring Spanish lavender, and several hybrid species in between. The heartiest of the varieties seems to be the French lavender. We planted it on a slight incline down-stream / down hill from an annual that burnt up in last summer's sun. For a year, the French lavender stayed potted plant sized, perhaps establishing roots, and then in the last year, it Took Off like gang busters. 1/2 of the Spanish lavender I planted around the pool seems to be taking the same "wait and see" pattern, while 2 out of a row of 4 I planted next to the pool tools have croaked. Traci has advised to not pull them, that they may bounce back - Dekhenge. I doubt it. So we've had a mixed bag here as well. =)

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