An article about autumn scents from the garden. By professional aromatherapist and author Sharon Falsetto.
Autumn is alive with the earthy, woody, muddy scents of a season-closing out summer and settling in to rest for winter. In addition to the vivid color artistry of reds, golds, browns, and oranges, the garden is also alive with olfactory pleasures. Take a moment, to relish in these gorgeous aromas, and learn how to recreate some of them in your favorite products.
Autumn Aromas from the Garden
Take a moment to write down the scents which you associate with fall. These could include:
- Green: Sunflower, grass, hay, pumpkin.
- Earth: Leaves, soil, dried seed heads.
- Spice: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger.
- Butter: Pumpkin (depending on variety), caramel, mocha.
Although spice and buttery aromas are not always found in the garden (depending on where you live), they are a synonymous pairing with the green and earthy autumn scents found in the garden. Take a walk around your garden and see what sensory delights you find.
(Re) Creating an Autumn Scent from the Garden
If you want to tell the story from your autumn garden, think about which essential oils, absolutes, CO2s et al you can use to recreate these unique autumn garden scents. For example:
- Green: Sunflower (essential oil), grass, (chamomile essential oil), hay (absolute, tonka bean butter), pumpkin (seed oil).
- Earth: Patchouli (essential oil), vetiver (essential oil), labdanum (absolute).
- Spice: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (essential oils).
- Butter: Butter (CO2), coffee (CO2).
Create a balanced accord of top, middle, and base notes until you are happy with the aroma.
How to Use Autumn Scents from the Garden
Once you’ve created a base oil blend that reminds you of your garden autumn scents, think about adding it to a compatible base product. This could include:
- Diffusion blend
- Body product
- Inhaler
- Perfume
- Candle
- Room spray
- Body spray
Remember that your base product (and its ingredients) may alter the aroma of your autumnal blend. If you want to keep it simple, add it to an alcoholic base and let it age. Or simply add to a water base and use it straight away. Complex body products may take longer to perfect.
Learn More About Creating Custom Scents
If you’d like to create your own custom scent, create specific aromatherapy recipes, or learn more, check out Sedona Aromatics Language of Aromatics™ Program, our consulting service, or our Botanical Aromatherapy™ Membership School. See you there!
About the Author:
The author of this article has been working in the health care industry since the 1990’s and in the aromatherapy industry since the 2000’s. She is UK-certified aromatherapist and a NAHA Certified Professional Aromatherapist®. She is both a published author and editor in aromatherapy, a consultant, custom blend formulator and herbal studies student. She is the author of Authentic Aromatherapy and the current chief editor of the NAHA Aromatherapy Journal. Sharon works from her garden studio in Sedona, Arizona, where she gardens and distills plants from her own aromatic gardens, surrounded by natural fauna and flora on an original pioneer homestead property.
