My gardenia’s have just finished blooming.  Each day I would snip a few of the creamy, white flowers to bring into the house.  

Gardenia’s remind me of my childhood.  During the late ’50’s and early ’60’s, where I lived on the SE Texas Coast, few people (if anyone) had central air and heat.  In order to keep from suffocating from the extremely high temperatures and humidity, we had what was called an “attic fan.”  This cooled the house by sucking the hot air out through the attic, and pulling air in through the windows.  At night, laying on my bed during gardenia season, I was soothed by the soft fragrance of our neighbor’s bushes entering my room on the gentle breeze.

Most people know that out of our five senses, smell is the most easily recalled; more that sight or sound or even taste.  A slight whiff of a particular scent can cause memories to come flooding back to the last time, or the first time, you experienced that smell.  So for me, gardenia is a link to my childhood. 

The great thing today is that even if you don’t have a gardenia bush growing in your yard, you can still refresh your memories by lighting a scented candle, adding a sachet to a drawer or closet, spritzing a room spray, placing a bowl of potpourri in your bedroom, or adding scented oil to a diffuser.  And it doesn’t have to be gardenia, it can be whichever fragrance links you to a favorite time in your past!

Greenleaf started in 1975 as a grower and retailer of plants and flowers. They learned all about the true fragrance of flowers and plants; the way nature intended them to be. Over the years they have developed expertise in fragrance, color, wax, product formulations, and packaging to make them a unique product in the market place. Greenleaf strives to maintain fragrance consistency over their entire product line.