I Lied!
I have said my favorite thread is the Hoya of the month but now I think this one is better:) Ok seriously now i really can't decide seeing them or hearing about the fragrances. You guys are the best
I can almost smell all the lovely fragrances. Oh how I wish more of mine would grow up and bloom.
I am so jealous in the nicest way:)
Bea
favorite bloom scents?
I think that it is a pity to take someone else's opinion about fragrance as absolute truth.... and I know that I find some hoyas fragrant (good) whileothers don't like the fragrance. I love H. magnifica and Christina finds that iut smells like a dirty barn! I don't find H. vitellina unpleasant....nor H. lauterbachii which others say smells like baby vomit/chocolate!
Now...I don't know if this is because our individual 'sniffers' differ or because of growing conditions/nutrients...
Interesting point Aloha- I've wondered the same myself
I am still a Hoya newbie here but someone told me that Lacunosa smelled like soap and she didn't like it. I think AlohaHoya is right and we all must have different "sniffers"!
Genes are responsible for the noses ability to detect...and differentiate...amoung different odors. In fact, because we don't need our sense of smell, like alot of animals do, over time the majority of those "scent" genes have become inactive in humans. (like alot of our senses have) Of the scent genes we DO use, some are active in some people, but not in others. So, the way things smell, and the strength of odors or how you percieve them, depends on your genetic makeup. It is especially common for there to be differences amoung different ethnicities.
Never thought about it but my husband says I have a very "sensitive" sense of smell. I sometimes look at my husband like he's nuts when he can't smell something that reeks! I remember a few years back when I had been gone about 2 1/2 weeks taking care of my mom ... something in the frig had rotted and he had no idea! Yuck! The minute I opened the frig door I thought I was gonna barf! He really didn't smell it!
Excellent point Carol!
I had one that bloomed for the first time and thought it as awfull really I did, I hunted everywhere to find that smell not thinking it was a flower. A few months later it bloomed again and this time when
I saw the bud forming I immediately started to think about where I could put it so I could see it and not smell it:) Well it bloomed and the fragrance the second time was actually quite pleasant. So what happened did I just get used to it..... don't think so. I am positive the frangrance was different the second time. Did I care for it differently, more water, fertilizer, etc ? maybe!
Has anyone else noticed that the fragrance has change from one blooming event to the next?
Bea
I find curtisii has a very strong citrus scent...one bloom but i can smell throughout a couple of rooms....i was wondering if anyone else thought this smelled like citrus or is it just me?.
I don't know about the fragrance of curtisii but that bloom is just beautiful!
Sounds like there are a lot of variables when it comes to scent! Between our own noses and then the growing conditions and then even between blooms from the same plant...... Just another thing that makes these plants so fascinating to grow!
~Brenda
OH Sandy! Can't wait for mine to bloom now! Citrus fragrance would be nice I think
Jen...very interesting point, about our smelling senses. I wonder if sniffing hoyas and using our senses more doesn't bring about keener abilities?
The first bloom on my DS-70 - smelled real musty, musky (??) to me. Not a bad smell, just not a real pleasant aroma. It's been blooming again the past few weeks and it smells better! It's always been hanging outside ... I've never brought this one indoors. I might do a test and bring it in and see if I like the fragrance inside my small house.
edited to say: I guess it's not just Hoya's ... on another thread someone was talking about their Sanseiveria plant - said at a distance it had an awful chemical smell, but the closer she got it was more like jasmine!??!!
Now I'm wanting to do a "distance" fragrance test!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/788730/#new
This message was edited Nov 11, 2007 1:05 PM
Yes Diane I agree, its not bad compared to some of the hoya scents!