Perfume has the most extraordinary power to affect emotion and mood. It can also stimulate memory in ways varying from the intimate and nostalgic to the downright disagreeable. And most of this is based on the essential oils derived from plants, or synthesised in imitation of what they produce naturally.
Entire civilisations such as that of ancient Egypt (and, to some extent, medieval France) have based their religious and social functioning around perfume. In Britain, the importance of the aromatic in medieval times (when scent was thought to be the main defence against disease) seems to be reemerging in the greater and greater desire for perfumed products used in the household, in health care and, of course, in the garden.
I am therefore delighted that Julia Lawless has written this practical guide to growing and using scented plants while placing their use in a sound historical context.
It is also good to know that any encouragement of the essential oil industry supports the economics of countries such as China, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, India, Morocco and Egypt. And, unlike medicinal herbs (the vast majority of which are taken from the wild), these materials are cropped, making their use far less of a conservation concern.
I wish the reader joy in the creation of a scented haven. May it stimulate many happy memories!
Sue Minter
CURATOR, CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN
RIGHT: Medicinal plants have been grown at Chelsea Physic Garden since the seventeenth century. Today there are displays of over 400 medicinal species.