Visceral and complex even tiny orchid flowers produce a scent. Vanilla-like or pungent, at once ephemeral and present. Ants in the garden seem to be attracted to these scents even before the flowers are fully open. I’ve seen the insects, smaller than a bud, wandering over the flower to be and getting a read on its tonalities.
The scents are not like other flowers or other things in the garden. They are a kind of tiny broadcast that reaches like a pheromone, far beyond its boundary. Or they may be hidden, drawing pollinators or other garden participants by the thinnest trail of molecules to the golden treasure pot inside. It’s in the still garden, not a windy day, that orchid aromas are most sensible.
Some of the orchid scents arise in the cool of morning, others as the day warms up. A flower that smelled yesterday may shut off today but reinvigorate tomorrow. Patience and care and a close reading are what we can offer.
The scents are not like other flowers or other things in the garden. They are a kind of tiny broadcast that reaches like a pheromone, far beyond its boundary. Or they may be hidden, drawing pollinators or other garden participants by the thinnest trail of molecules to the golden treasure pot inside. It’s in the still garden, not a windy day, that orchid aromas are most sensible.
Some of the orchid scents arise in the cool of morning, others as the day warms up. A flower that smelled yesterday may shut off today but reinvigorate tomorrow. Patience and care and a close reading are what we can offer.
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