The Garden Treats column in this month’s issue of the Singapore Home Concepts magazine focussed on a selection of plants which are used in the perfumery industry. Five different plants where featured which included the ylang ylang (Cananga odorata), champaca (Michelia spp.), jasmine (Jasminum spp.), frangipani (Plumeria spp.) and rose (Rosa spp.). Essential oil is extracted from their flowers and are used to make various fragrance products.
From the above selection, of particular significance are two tropical flowers, namely, ylang ylang and white champaca (Michelia x alba). Essential oil from these flowers is used to make the Jean Patou cult classic, Joy and Chanel No. 5, respectively. Extraction of essential oil from flowers is usually not feasible at home due to the lack of access to specialised equipment. But one can still enjoy these flowers for their fragrance which is emitted into the space of a garden or home. Hence it will be prudent of one to grow these fragrant plants in a pot and so that they can be easily shifted around!
For the entire of March, visitors to HortPark will get a chance to know more about perfumery plants as a showcase has been put up at the timber deck located just outside HortPark’s Lifestyle Corner. The display was put up by myself and my fellow colleagues working in HortPark in conjunction with my article on perfumery plants in the Singapore Home Concepts magazine. Information on how to grow and care for these plants in the garden is provided. Guided tours of the Lifestyle Corner as well as the perfumery plant showcase, lasting for an hour, have been organised on two Saturday afternoons – 14 and 21 Mar 2009 at 5 pm.
In the perfumery showcase at HortPark, one can expect to see a few more perfumery plants in addition to the five mentioned in the article. They include the citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus), lemon (Citrus limon) and tuberose (Polianthes tuberose). As mentioned earlier, flowers are the main raw material that are harvested for perfumery uses but for citronella grass, it is the leaves that are harvested. In the case of the lemon, the peel of the fruit is used. It will be a good idea to drop by later in the evening. The fragrance of the flowers usually intensifies when night falls.
One very important thing to note for the growing of these perfumery plants is that the majority of them are sun worshippers. They need direct sunshine to grow well and produce flowers. Apartment gardeners are likely to encounter alot of difficulty in trying to get these plants to flower if there is insufficient direct sunshine at their homes. Many of these perfumery plants are also shrubs and they need to be pruned periodically to ensure they do not become straggly. Pruning will encourage the growth of side shoots which will help to keep the plant compact-looking.
