Ferraria (was Tazetta fragrance)
Rand Nicholson (Wed, 24 Dec 2003 04:40:48 PST)
Jane McGary writes:
Some flowers have an almost unclassifiable stench, like Ferraria,
which I no longer grow for that reason, though I do keep a lot of
Fritillaria agrestis on hand, even though it smells like dog
droppings. The "licorice" family of umbellifers -- licorice, fennel,
caraway and so on -- is another instance delightful to some and
offensive to others. And then there's cilantro!
This is very interesting as I am just about to try my hand at some
Ferraria crispa and had not even considered that the flowers may have
a bit of a pong. However, as a hardened Amorphophallus grower, if the
flowers are attractive or unusual (enough), I do not think that the
odor will detract from my growing experience. The Frit. imp. that
grow in the back yard are quite skunky rather than anything doggy,
but endearing in that our city deer will go out of their way to give
them a wide berth.
Rand Nicholson
Saint John, NB,
The Great White North Where Not One Of My Bulbs Is Blooming For Christmas.