Scent is such a popular element of cut flowers that the first thing most of us do when buying a bouquet is smell the flowers. Over a third of you, in F&PA surveys, say it influences your choice of flower purchase.

Floral scents are one of the most popular smells, and the perfume industry expends a great deal of effort trying to reproduce the authentic fragrance of fresh flowers.

It has also been discovered that certain fragrances can have an effect on our emotions and wellbeing. The scent of orange blossom or lavender can act as a sedative, while citrus smells are great pick-me-ups.
To cultivate cut flowers that have consistent quality, long vase life, good colour, disease resistance, and the strength to grow profusely, some of the scent genes are bred out in the process. It is a side-effect of the molecular structure of flowers.

Because of this, growers and geneticists have recently started breeding more perfume back into cut flowers again. Flowers and foliage are also beginning to be graded with a scent scale, like a bottle of wine, based on strength of perfume and the type of scent - sweet, spicy, woody, exotic and so forth.

In general, white and pale flowers are particularly strongly scented, eg oriental lilies, tuberose, tazetta narcissi. Freesia are an exception to this - darker red and pink varieties have the strongest scent.

Bear in mind that a cool room is better for prolonging the life of cut flowers; but too cool a room may prevent scented flowers giving off their full perfume.

Churchtown Farm (www.scillyflowers.co.uk) in the Isles of Scilly specialises in scented narcissi and pinks. Their prices include postage costs.

The Isles of Scilly growers behind www.scentednarcissi.co.uk handpick scented narcissi to order and dispatch them direct to your door in midnight blue presentation boxes. Visit www.scentednarcissi.co.uk for more information.

For information on scented cut roses visit The Real Flower Company at /www.realflowers.co.uk

>>click on the flowers and foliage opposite for a guide to those with the strongest scent.