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| Rosa 'St. Swithun' 2 September 2022 |
Today 2 September 2022 I noticed a rose, Rosa ‘St. Swithun’ that was in bloom but a bit past its prime. I stopped to smell it and I was rewarded by one of the most complex and wonderful scents in botany (my opinion). It is a scent that the English call myrhh.
Can a scent remind you of a person? With me, yes. I have written many times before (link above) that I remember the smell of my father that combined his Navy Cut Player cigarettes he smoked, the gin in his breath, lavender after shave and all those scents converging on his Harris Tweed jackets.
But this morning when I took a whiff of St. Swithun I immediately was reminded of my Rosemary.
I remember one afternoon when she came back from a VanDusen Garden show and told me, “Alex, there is rose in the Phoenix Perennials booth that has a smell that is heavenly. I am going back tomorrow as this display rose has my name on it.” And so it was and Rosemary introduced me to the myrrh scented English Roses.
Rosemary rarely wore perfume so it is the scent of St. Swithun that to me is Rosemary.
Luckily my ability to smell is extremely good.
