On this spring day, I am surrounded by fragrances from the flowers that are in bloom. There’s a profusion of great fragrances – lilac, honeysuckle, roses, and so many other flowers.

Our sense of smell is so powerful.  The various fragrances instantly bring me back to childhood and memories of playing outside. Our sense of smell has been proven to be the strongest stimulator of memories, even more effective that visual and auditory cues.

This may seem to be a simple passing pleasure. However, we need to remember how important our sense of smell is and why we need to plant more fragrant plants. Gardens should include plants that people can recognize and help them remember past events. The smell of roses transports me back to my grandfather’s garden. I am sure that if I handed you some basil leaves, you would immediately tell me that this smells like your mother’s kitchen.  All many reasons why planting herbs and other fragrant plants in your garden is so wonderful.

Our sense of smell is powerful and remembering pleasant fragrances can be therapeutic.  Reminiscence therapy programs use plants to help evoke past memories. So including plants like lilac, wisteria and  fragrant herbs in the garden can transport one back immediately to fond memories of past events.