Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
lafleuriste

My Moonflower Doesn't Smell Like I Thought It Would...

lafleuriste
14 years ago

I got my first moon flower blossom tonight. I began these seeds in February, and have been eagerly awaiting the creamy white blooms and heavenly scent I keep hearing of...I even felt like ordering a drumroll, Clark Griswold-style before bending down to smell the flower.

It doesn't smell like much of anything. Well, if I stick my nose right in, I catch a faint whiff of something that smells like plastic.

Even worse, I think it's just me. My husband says he can smell it and that it smells like a really good air freshener.

What's wrong with my nose? I'm so bummed. I'll keep sniffing the blooms as they open this summer, but I'm starting to think I don't have the can-smell-moonflowers gene.

Just letting off some steam...thanks for your sympathy.

Comments (9)

  • msbatt
    14 years ago

    My mom loves the scent of moonflowers, but I can't smell them AT ALL. On the other hand, I like the scent of privet hedge blooms, but she thinks they smell like dirty socks.

  • october17
    14 years ago

    Wow! How'd you get the thing to bloom so early? What kind of sun does it get?

    I never have blooms til Sept. I just figured it bloomed based on day length or something.

  • ron_convolvulaceae
    14 years ago

    How many of you who can't smell moomflowers are cigarette smokers (?)
    There are no 2 people that have the same exact sense of smell or taste , although tobacco cigarette smoking (or chewing tobacco) and taking certain medication can definitely reduce / alter both the sense of smell and taste...both of which are a type of chemo-reception...

    Just some aspects to consider...

  • glen3a
    14 years ago

    Lafleuriste, one thought. Maybe when your plant has a few blooms open at once the scent will be more intense and then you'll be able to smell it. I hope I'll be able to smell mine when it blooms. I know that sometimes all those write ups on those seed packets about how a plant blossoms will smell your entire yard are sort of hype.

  • lafleuriste
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks, all. I'm hanging on to hope that I'll be able to smell the subsequent blooms! I've never smoked, so I don't think it's that. I agree that to my nose, privet hedges or boxwood (something that grows in the South) really stinks, like msbatt said of her mom, so maybe it's just my own individual sense of smell.

    I have sweet peas to console me though, blooming in lovely pinks and purples and they smell delightful - Old Spice variety.

    October17: I started these moon flower seeds way back in February and had been growing them under lights for the remainder of the winter. By the time I planted them out, they were already a few feet tall. I'd read that if I want blooms all summer (here in my northern climate), I'd better start way early!

  • msbatt
    14 years ago

    I've never been a smoker, but my mom smoked for 50 years. (And she can smell a gnat fart in a hurricane!) I do, however, have some serious sinus problems.

  • HU-817409581
    last year

    I got my first bloom yesterday and i dont smell a thing ! i am so disappointed because my husband said the flower smells delightful. So i am doing some research to figure out why .

  • quailchirpsgarden
    5 months ago

    Hello to everyone looking for why their moonflowers don't scent the yard with intoxicating perfume like other people describe... My moonflowers have finally bloomed in Zone 9b (seeds started March 20, 2023 - first bloom September 12, 2023) and I cannot really smell any of them. I can smell a faint plastic smell like lafleuriste described 14 years ago but was anticipating heady garden filling perfume! Other flowers smell strong to me - certain roses, osmanthus in bloom, olive blossoms, plum blossoms, bearded irises, freesias and daffodils, jasmine etc. I love passing by an unseen garden and getting walloped by a big cloud of flower perfume. Alas it seems that this might be like cilantro - some people experience one thing and others will have a completely different experience!

Sponsored
Moda Kitchen and Bath
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars20 Reviews
Loudoun County's Custom Kitchen & Bath Designs for Everyday Living