What does Gardenia Smell Like? A Guide to the Heavenly Garden Scent
Has a smell ever stopped you in your tracks as you were walking past a neighbor’s garden?
It is one of our favorite games to play on a summer evening walk, guessing which fragrance belongs to which flower. One flower that recently caught our attention is the humble gardenia. The smell was captivating to the point where we wanted to explore the question what does gardenia smell like?
Gardenia has a strong floral aroma, that screams with an acidic citrus freshness. There is a sweet tinge to the scent, that is rounded out with creamy undertones. You have probably experienced the gardenia fragrance without realizing it. It is the base scent in many famous perfumes, like Marc Jacobs Daisy Fame, Flora by Gucci and Tom Ford’s Velvet Gardenia.
In this article, we’re going to take a deep dive into the gardenia fragrance. We’ll look at:
- how the scent is used (particularly in perfumes) and harvested from the plant.
- We’ll also look at how you can bring the wonderful smell into your home with gardenia cuttings, and
- how to care for them to make them last.
What Are Gardenias?
Gardenias are a popular plant for home gardeners, due to their beautiful creamy-white flowers peaking out from the deep waxy green leaves. They develop into low to medium-sized bushes that are great as low level hedging or garden borders around the garden.
Many home gardeners actively use gardenia bushes as a strategy to deter deer from eating their garden. As deer don’t like the taste and smell of gardenias, and will generally move onto tastier pasteurs.
What Does Gardenia Smell Like?
Gardenias are one of those fragrances that you most likely have come across, but just didn’t know it at the time.
It is a fresh smell that evokes feelings of wandering around tranquil gardens in a garden party setting. There is a zesty element to the scent, coupled with whispers of creamy coconut tones to finish.
It is these flavors and tones in the gardenia scent that allow it to be the foundation of many well-known perfumes.
Do All Gardenia Varieties Smell the Same?
For the most part, most gardenia varieties have very familiar scents that are similar enough for you to distinguish that they belong to the gardenia family.
However, what can differ between gardenia varieties, is the intensity of the fragrance that the flowers produce.
Some gardenias grow larger blooms than other varieties. While some plants focus on producing double blooms in place of the more common singular varieties.
Which Gardenia Is the Most Fragrant?
If you are looking for an intense – smelling gardenia, the Aimee Yashioka variety will be your best pick. They are particularly known for their h