Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

  Ambrette Seeds for Perfume Project Mailed Out by  Anya McCoy  |  Apr 30, 2015  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes ,  Giveaway ,  natural aromatics ,  natural perfume ,  raw materials of perfumery  |  4 comments I have great news: I had the seeds planted in my Miami garden on Tuesday, April 21, when the moon was in an infertile sign, Gemini. I had to have my garden helper plant them, and that was the only day she was available. I would have loved fertile Cancer, but sometimes you have to go with the flow. Well, despite brutally hot weather, when I was out there watering the patch twice a day, and then massive downpours, the seeds germinated! I didn’t take a photo yet, because lots of little weed seedlings also popped up, and it looked messy, but here’s a photo of okra seedlings germinating, and ambrette is closely related, so they look like this: okra cotyledons (first leaves). from haveyoueverpickedacarrot.com – cotyledons are not tru...

  The Secret World of Ambrette Seeds by  Anya McCoy  |  Mar 8, 2015  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes ,  natural aromatics ,  raw materials of perfumery  |  1 comment Oh, the incredible beauty of the inner chambers of ripe ambrette seeds! I have been growing a patch of them for several months, chronicled  here  and  here . Last night I sat down for another session removing the seeds from the hairy, prickly pod – ouch! The pod is made up of five segments, or locules, and I discovered the easiest way to “open” them was to pull them apart from the pointed non-stem end. I’ve taken some photos of the inside of the locules before, but last night I was determined to get a photo or two with most of the seeds lined up. Sounds easy? Not. When you pull the fully-ripened pod apart, no matter how gently, many of the seeds tend to drop down into the bowl or make a leap for freedom, flying about. Interior of ambrette seed locule, showing funicu...

  Attar of Roses Geranium Perfume Plant by  Anya McCoy  |  Feb 4, 2015  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes ,  natural aromatics ,  raw materials of perfumery  |  3 comments And they say scented geraniums can’t be grown in Miami! The beautifully-scented Pelargonium geraniums are native to the high, dry desert of South Africa. With minimal rainfall, low humidity, and far from the equator, they flourish there and in many Mediterranian climates around the world. Mine struggled but survived their first summer (2014) in Miami, and they are flourishing now, and their perfume is divine. In Miami, we have hot, humid summers and we’re close to the Equator. I babied the various scented geraniums, and about 50% of them survived. The Attar of Roses variety, Pelargonium captiatum is thriving, and I intend to harvest the leaves for distilling in late Spring. The deeper pink venation on the two upper petals is a sure sign of Attar of Roses scented geranium 3 Com...

Perfume of Meyer Lemon and Labdanum Frolic Together by  Anya McCoy  |  Jan 21, 2015  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes ,  Perfume From Your Garden book ,  raw materials of perfumery  |  1 comment This is a closeup photo of one branch of my Meyer Lemon mini tree showing it touching branches with m labdanum bush. The two labdanums that I’m growing are experimental, to see if they will survive in hot, humid Florida. They’ve survived one summer so far, and are thriving. The Meyer Lemon does very well here, and the juxtaposition of the ethereal citrus top note fragrance from their flowers, blending with the sweet middle note of the labdanum leaves is lovely. Yes, middle note for labdanum leaves. The extract, whether essential oil or absolute or resin, is, of course, a base note. Although I have not extracted the scent from my plants yet, the endearing, sweet and slightly spicy scent seems to be a middle note. One branch of the Meyer Lemon is touching the ...

  Lovely “Stroll” Through My Miami Garden and Perfumes on Fragrantica by  Anya McCoy  |  Dec 16, 2014  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes ,  Natural Perfumery Institute  |  0 comments Jodi Battershell at Fragrantica wrote a lovely article that can bring those new to my perfumes up-to-date.  http://www.fragrantica.com/…/Strolling-Through-Anya-s-Garde…  I posted a photo of a moonflower here. It’s not part of the article, but its beauty spoke to me today.

  Anya’s Garden Perfumed Morning by  Anya McCoy  |  Aug 6, 2014  |  Anya McCoy ,  Anya's Garden Perfumes ,  enfleurage ,  natural aromatics ,  natural perfume ,  raw materials of perfumery  |  2 comments I’m so thankful for the assistance of my apprentice Paula Diaz and Jimmy in renovating my front garden. Edged, mulched beds full of fragrant flowers and leaves look so beautiful, and the plants are so healthy now with proper care. I’ve had some really poor gardeners wreck part of my gardens in the past few years, but Paula and Jimmy have helped undo the poor pruning, weed control, and other afflictions the poor gardeners imposed on my fragrant environment. This is a photo of what I see when I look out my front door in the morning. It’s hard to get the flowers and plants all in focus, due to the light and dark shadows, and the depth of field setting. I fiddled with the settings until I got this long shot, and I’m happy with...