Do you know why flowers smell? Why do flowers smell? Potted soil has a bad smell

Plants are amazing organisms. They are used for a variety of purposes: design, medicine, culinary condiment. They also have one more function - many representatives have very fragrant aromas that can be inhaled both at home and in their country house.

Picking flowers that smell good is a special challenge. In this case, you need to take into account several important points at once:

  • the right combination of flavors;
  • harmonious combination of plants in terms of design;
  • what conditions are suitable for different plants for their joint flowering (soil, light, and others).

Important! In the case of the selection of aromas, it is important to take into account the presence of an allergy in one of the household to certain smells. And if plants with a smell are supposed to be grown at home, accordingly, you need to keep in mind pets, who may also not like too odorous flowers.

Gloxinia - plants with incredibly beautiful flowers in the form of gramophones

The most saturated, delicious-smelling plants can be placed on your balcony. The most popular include:

  1. Gloxinia- plants with incredibly beautiful flowers in the form of gramophones. They have a variety of colors and patterns and have a delicate, peculiar aroma.
  2. Hyacinth- it's very popular flower plants which are grown from bulbs. They have a very intense aroma, which exude flowers of various colors: blue, red, white, pink, lilac, etc.
  3. Sweet pea blooms all season until early October, if the Indian summer is delayed longer than usual. The plant is creeping and needs trellis, netting or taut ropes.
  4. Lavender- an elegant plant with purple flowers that enrich the atmosphere with a pleasant smell until the end of summer.
  5. Nasturtium- can be grown as vine on a wire rack, or in regular containers. The aroma is pronounced, with rich honey tones.

What flowers to plant on the balcony (video)

Strongly scented flowers for the garden

The choice of fragrant plants for giving is wider. Along with flowers, this includes some herbs, low-growing shrubs and, of course, garden trees.

Fragrant shrubs and trees

A lot of garden shrubs and, of course, trees have fragrant aromas:

  • bird cherry;
  • lilac;
  • different types of honeysuckle (Tatar, Maaka);
  • hydrangea paniculata;
  • alder leaf clere;
  • different types of mock orange;
  • garden apple tree;
  • robinia pseudoacacia and others.

They are usually not planted next to each other. However, some types of trees, for example, bird cherry and apple, the smells of which do not contradict each other, are quite appropriate to plant next to each other.

Lavender is an elegant plant with purple flowers that enrich the atmosphere with a pleasant smell until the end of summer.

fragrant herbs

Some herbs, despite their unprepossessing appearance, have very pleasant aromas. At the same time, they can be successfully used in the decoration of flower beds, rockeries and other flower arrangements. Here are some of the most popular representatives of fragrant herbs:

  • tarragon;
  • fennel;
  • dill;
  • basil;
  • leaf mustard;
  • chervil and others.

It is no coincidence that most of the herbs on this list are used as spices. They got into the culinary business thanks to their exquisite aroma, which gives spicy taste any dish.

Some herbs, despite their inconspicuous appearance, have very pleasant aromas.

Fragrant annual and perennial flowers

Almost all flowers have their own unique aroma, which allows them to attract insects for pollination. However, few can emit really rich odors that are pleasant to humans.

These include, for example, such annuals:

  1. Sweet pea. This plant prefers cool, rainy weather. It can be planted in protected ground in winter or early spring.
  2. Mirabilis, which is also called the "Peruvian miracle". It opens its flowers after 5-6 pm and emits a pleasant smell until sunset.
  3. Heliotrope- quite tall (up to half a meter) beautiful flowers with a pleasant aroma of vanilla.
  4. lobularia, also called alyssum. It blooms almost all summer and partly September. Grown by seedlings (seeds are sown at the end of March).
  5. Fragrant tobacco along with planting a house, it is quite suitable for decoration suburban area. Fills the air with a strong floral scent.

Sweet Pea - This plant prefers cool, rainy weather.

Among the perennial flowers, the most common are the following:

  • dahlias;
  • monarch;
  • Levkoy (biennial);
  • meadowsweet;
  • mignonette;
  • peonies;
  • thin-leaved marigolds.

Choosing a place for planting perennial fragrant flowers should be especially careful so as not to disturb them later with transplants.

Strong-smelling flowers for the garden (video)

Flowers that smell in the evening and at night

In general, the flowers bloom and exude fragrances in the morning and afternoon to attract insects. However, there is a whole group of plants that are fragrant in the evening and even at night. These include:

  1. decorative tobacco- This plant has been cultivated for a long time. It reveals all its aromas from late evening until dawn. The aroma is sweetish, subtle, unobtrusive. Feature- can bloom until early October. The plant loves open Sun rays, a well-ventilated place, so placing it on a balcony facing south or east is very good option. He likes systematic watering and fairly good soil.
  2. Mattiola- a plant that does not have a special decorative value, but is very fragrant. She is planted in containers, often in the vicinity of more interesting from the point of view appearance flowers. The plant is quite demanding on watering and soil quality, grows well on the sunny side. In order to maximize the flowering of mattiola and enjoy its fragrantness for as long as possible, it is better to plant the seeds in several lines at intervals of 10-15 days.
  3. Levkoy- This is a plant related to Matthiola. It not only emits a pleasant, fragrant smell, but also has pleasant colors - white and scarlet, pink. If you alternate them with each other, sowing seeds different varieties, it will look especially beautiful.
  4. night violet flowers(another name for this plant is matthiola bicorne) are small and rather inconspicuous in appearance, but in aroma it will yield to very few even the most beautiful flowers. When they open, a delicate, sweet fragrance appears throughout the room, beginning in the evening hours and continuing throughout the night. These are annuals, so new plantings should be made every year. The advantage of such plants is that aromas can be inhaled literally a few months after planting.

Decorative tobacco - this plant has been grown in culture for a long time

fragrant bulbous plants

There is a whole class garden plants, which are distinguished by pleasant smells and magnificent colors: these are bulbous flowers:

  • daffodils;
  • hyacinths;
  • tulips;
  • crocuses;
  • blueberry;
  • whiteflower and others.

Almost all of them have a high decorative value and are grown not only for aroma, but also for aesthetic purposes.

Tulips have a high decorative value and are grown not only for fragrance, but also for aesthetic purposes.

Rules for creating a fragrant garden in the country

Creating a fragrant garden is an original and interesting task. The main requirement for work is the formation of plantings of such plants that will constantly give flowers at different times of summer and autumn. In a word, you need to create a garden of continuous flowering and fragrance.

Along with the conditions of design and agrotechnical (according to the conditions of care) combination, it is necessary to take into account so that the flowers bloom in turn, and their fragrances do not interrupt each other:

  • The first to open the season of aromas in the country hyacinths and daffodils. They are planted in the form of seedlings, which begin to be prepared at the end of summer. A bulb is planted in a container, and already at the very beginning of October it is dug into the ground along with a seedling. The next year, with the onset of the warm season, the pots are taken out, the plants are removed and planted in specific places.
  • Next, a shrub, popular in our latitudes, begins to bloom - lilac. This is a rather unpretentious plant, choosing different types soils. Along with the usual tall trees, you can also plant decorative shrubs that grow no more than one and a half meters in height. Such trees not only bloom beautifully, but also look great in rockeries and other flower arrangements.

The first to open the season of aromas in the country are hyacinths and daffodils

  • Blooms around the same time. bird cherry whose flowers smell like honey. Its flowering time is mid-May. At about the same time, a garden apple tree is laid down, saturating the air with a delicate aroma.
  • Following (second half of May) bloom lilies of the valley. These flowers are undersized, have a very peculiar, recognizable appearance, so they are most often planted separately from others. They can be used to designate garden paths, planted along the edges of the flower bed in circles or patterns, and also planted in the form of a solid green carpet.
  • Next comes the time mock orange. It blooms at the very beginning of June and all July. Not all of its varieties smell, so it is important to choose fragrant ones. It is fragrant with such pleasant smells that it was called garden. The aroma is pronounced, rich, harmonious. It is best to plant this plant in open, sunny places and do not forget about regular watering.

They are one of nature's greatest scented gifts, everyone loves to enjoy their fresh scent. You can give them as a gift, decorate an interior to add a delightful scent to your home, but why do flowers actually have such an attractive fragrance?

The smell of flowers is usually a complex mixture of low molecular weight substances, and is the most important factor in attracting pollinators. Although the flowers may be the same in color or shape, no two floral scents are the same. Thus, smell is a signal that directs pollinators to the flower. Individual floral scents attract certain pollinating insects. Flowers with fragrant and sweet scents are pollinated by bees and flies, while flowers with spicy and fruity scents attract beetles.

As with all life forms, it is the process that allows reproduction. Pollinators are animals and insects that, in contact with flowers, and then, moving from flower to flower, transfer pollen, so new plants appear. The intensity of the floral scent can be affected by temperature and light levels, and there are some types of flowers that can intensify at certain times of the day or night. Snapdragons, for example, are more fragrant during the day, when pollinating bees are more active. Fragrant tobacco is more fragrant at night, and attracts moths with its aroma.

As you can see, the fragrance becomes stronger after rain, when the air is humid, this is because the scent molecules are much easier to spread. one of the sweetest smelling flowers, the most popular fragrance, often used in products such as candles, perfumes, soaps, lotions, and creams. The scent of the lilac is often associated with spring, and the flower has a rather strong, sweet fragrance, although the degree of sweetness can vary depending on the type of lilac. known for their rather strong, fragrant aroma, a bouquet of such flowers will fill the room with a delightful aroma. However, if you are sensitive to smells, opt for other, less fragrant flowers.

Flowers decorate our house, plants with their wonderful aromas and a variety of shades are used in landscape design and as a gift, as one of the ways to express love and respect. What could be better than a fragrant bouquet!

Flowers are the embodiment of beauty, tenderness, fragility; each flower is unique, not like the others. Although everyone has their own preferences when choosing fragrances, you can hardly find a person who would not like the smells of fragrant flowers. It is difficult to find something more beautiful in the world. Why do flowers smell?

These gentle creations of nature smell thanks to essential oils, or rather, the ones they contain. phytoncides - special substances that are contained in the cells of the petals or in the perianth, and in some plants are produced by special glands. These volatile substances play an important role in plant life. First of all, they contribute to the flow of metabolic processes in plant organisms. When released, essential oils evaporate immediately, enveloping the plant in a fragrant cloud. This veil protects the plant from overheating during the day and from hypothermia at night.

The smell of flowers attracts various insects for pollination. Each species of flowering plant adapts to its pollinators. For example, flowers pollinated by moths and night mice open only at night and have a very strong smell.

Predatory plants use scent to lure prey. Essential oils prevent infection of plant organisms by harmful fungi and bacteria. The smell of some flowers repels herbivores and prevents them from being eaten. Therefore, livestock bypasses sharp-smelling grasses. Thus, the smell allows plants to win in the competitive struggle for existence.

It has been noted that plants with a light color of their flowers have the most fragrant odors. Most often, their petals are white or light yellow. And vice versa: plants with bright, variegated flowers have a less pronounced smell.

People from ancient times discovered unique properties essential oils. Currently, they are widely used in medicine, aromatherapy, perfumery, for flavoring drinks and food products, in household chemicals, and also as solvents. For example, the aroma of bergamot fruit is effective tool getting rid of depression and difficult mental conditions. Everyone's favorite roses have similar properties. Jasmine, iris, violet, citrus fruits also increase vitality.

The fumes of some plants are poisonous, which must be taken into account when decorating the interior of the house. For this reason, it is not recommended to keep plants of the aroid family in the room: monstera, dieffenbachia, spathiphyllum (popularly called “female happiness”), etc. On the contrary, oils of geranium, chlorophytum, begonias, orchids purify the air and calm the nervous system.

Scientists have calculated that all the plants in the world release from 100 to 150 million tons of aromas into the atmosphere every year.

In addition to the pleasure of inhaling the aroma, “communication” with flowers also gives aesthetic pleasure. In Japan, for example, girls with early years Be sure to teach the art of making bouquets.

Flowers are best gift for any girl or woman. When they give her a bouquet, they usually express their warm feelings with this, as if they say that she is just as beautiful. Many cultures even developed a language of flowers. A presented bouquet can tell a lot without words, depending on how many flowers it contains, what color and variety they are.

The main reason for the occurrence of this or that aroma in a flower is the high content of essential oils in the petals. The set of elements differs depending on the variety of the plant, so the smell of different flowers is different from each other. Under the influence of air temperature or due to the moistening of the petals, essential oils begin the evaporation process. This process produces a characteristic aroma.

Particles of essential oils swirl around the plant for a long time. That is why people prone to allergic reactions try to avoid close contact with flowers. Otherwise, the smallest droplets of evaporating substances fall into Airways and cause tears, a runny nose, or even suffocation.

Essential oils are found not only in the petals, but also in the leaves, and even the bark of trees. As a result of the interaction of the existing components, different ones are obtained.

Effects of flower odors

People divide the smells of flowers into several categories - pleasant and unpleasant, sweet and tart. Some plants are very popular in quality precisely because of their aroma. The function of smell is completely different.

The main purpose of fragrance for a flower is to attract the attention of insects. According to statistics, most flowering plants pollinated precisely thanks to winged helpers. Only a small number of them are able to self-pollinate or transmit their pollen through the air.

Essential oils become not only the causes of odors, but also play the role of reliable protection of the flower. The fact is that their particles for a long time remain around the bud in the form of a thin veil, which prevents overheating or hypothermia of the petals. Volatile oils are complex chemical compounds with different composition and properties.

Features of the smell of flowers

The smell of some flowers changes during the day. There are plants that, for example, are distinguished by a particularly rich aroma only at night. This is due to the lifestyle of insects necessary for pollination.

Some flowers have a completely unattractive aroma. However, for a separate category of insects, it is the most effective beacon, and they take an unpleasant smell for products from their main diet.