My dogs got no nose…

In this wonderful age of cultural diversity it’s great to see so many otherwise-unknown great causes finally getting a day or even week to promote their worthy causes. In recent years there has been an explosion of “international” and “national” days and most have a theme, logo, and celebrations or festivities of some kind to help bring awareness to the masses. Some are for serious and well needed, worthy causes while others are more fun based and light-hearted.

On the last Saturday in April, this year Saturday 30th April, is National Sense of Smell Day here in the UK, and we at Flower Shops Network think that this is a day that doesn’t get that much attention, but being florists, we think it should!

How does he smell?

The sense of smell is probably the lowest ranked of all the senses yet it is one of the most sensitive, under rated and under used of the 5. (We think there are way more than 5 by the way, but to keep things simple…) Our sense of smell is connected and intertwined with many neurological pathways, which is why a familiar scent or smell can transport you to a different time and space instantly.

Smells and aromas can trigger memories in a way that few others can. The cooking of a childhood family dish can deliver you back to your school hood days in a flash. The whiff of perfume in a room full of strangers can whisk you back to days of first love without asking permission first! The first smell of a fresh rose each year may drop you off on the morning of your wedding day, with all the angst and excitement to flow through again…

Smells are indeed strong memory makers.

Bloody awful.

We should take a moment here to mention that while the ageing process naturally reduces the sense of smell a sudden loss or premature loss of smell can sometimes be a pre-cursor to more serious and often neurological illness and should be looked into.

The last 2 years have seen many people lose not only their sense of smell but also their sense of taste due to Covid 19. Thankfully this is only temporary for most but our hearts go out to those may have been suffering for longer periods of time.

And the winner is…

Here at Flower Shops Network we’re offering a fantastically funky bunch of fruity flowers to the winner of our "If you could make a flower smell like anything, what would you choose and why?" competition!

Simply check out our socials FaceBook, Instagram to see how to enter but it’s as simple as nominating a flower with a smell and telling us why you would choose that scent to win our fantastically fragrant flowers!

e.g My flower would be the sunflower and the smell would be sizzling, smoky bacon so whenever I come home my house smells as delicious as the local cafe!

The choice and reasoning are yours but please make them great ones as you can only enter once, so get those thinking caps on!

Take time to stop and smell the roses

We at Flower Shops Network not only choose our stems for their aesthetic beauty but also for the fresh fragrance they will deliver. Not all flowers mingle well together and it takes a trained nose to know who should hang out with who. We thought it might be fun to put together a list of our florists top 5 favourite smellies and what those scented beauties mean and what feelings they evoke in them.

The Honest Rose- A big winner with all, bringing scenes of English country estates, garden parties and that first innocent, St. Valentine’s display of uncertain emotion! Timeless, classic, elegant and so familiar, the rose makes a welcome gift for any occasion.

Fresh Freesias- My mother’s favourite, even the smallest bunch will fill a room with the sweet and oh-so-missed aromas of a spring in full bloom. Sweet, delicate and extremely pretty these fragrant flowers work well on their own or as a side note to a larger display.

Lovely Lilies- The lily is a real “show-off” of a flower, with its striking appearance, dominating stance and heady aroma, making it one of the most popular flower not only on our list but in the UK in general. Strong and intoxicating aromas mixed with stunning good looks mean these ladies will be loved by all.

Perfect Peony-The peony is a winner in most people’s eyes and noses as well! It’s such a pretty flower with lovely laced petals and perfect pinks that when the sweet fragrance it’s a bit of a shock. Peony’s are such a delight but have such a short flowering season you have to be quick with your ordering or the shelves could be bare. Stunning flowers with a sensual scent make these an extremely popular choice for brides and are a good omen for a harmonious marriage.

Jazzy Jasmine- A personal favourite of mine, has such a comforting, familiar scent that’s neither too strong or overpowering yet pervasively subtle enough to fill the home with its background fog of freshness. Simple and stark a few stems of jasmine go a long way in a beautiful bouquet.

We have fragrant bouquets to suit all, please feel free to have a peek at our seasonal sensations, special offers and hand tied flowers here to find the perfect display of your desires.

Fun facts time

Would you believe me if I told you that there is such a place as The Sense of Smell Institute? What if I told you that the S.O.S.I. was actually the education division of The Fragrance Foundation? Would you think I’d been reading too much Ian Fleming?!

Well they’re the real deal and not only do they sponsor National Sense of Smell Day they actually do some really interesting and important work in the world of sniffing and smells!

Some of the fascinating facts they have found out include:

Women have a better sense of smell than men.

No 2 people will smell the same thing in exactly the same way.

Your sense of smell increases as the day goes on and is most sensitive at night.

Scent cells are the only cells of the senses that can regenerate and do so every 30-60 days.

Each individuals personal odour is as distinctive as a fingerprint, even when disguised with perfume or deodorant. This is how babies are easily able to recognise their mothers and a spouse will always know their partners special aroma.

Speaking of smelly spouses, isn’t it time you treated your better half to a fragrant floral treat just to say “love you stinky!” You know they deserve and it and will truly love the unexpected delight, so what’s stopping you?

To do so it’s as easy as clicking here.

DO try this at home!

To bring some fun into the day why not host your own “Nose Olympics” at home?! Give your nostrils and scent cells a thorough work out by collecting small amounts of smellies, blindfolding friends or family and seeing who can identify the smelly in question correctly! Some smellies to consider could be: Flower petals, toast, toothpaste, coffee, lavender, cinnamon, vanilla, lip balm, olives, shoe polish….the list is endless but we think you get the idea.

For an added level of fun or amusement, why not add a few nasties in amongst the bunch?! Smelly socks, sour milk, vinegar, cat food, black pepper or even chilli powder if you fancy getting your own back for a prior misdemeanour!

Whatever you do make it fun and remember to say thank you to that thing in the middle of your face for all the hard work and help over the years.

And to win the fragrant floral bouquet, get onto our socials now! Instagram, FaceBook.

 

FLOWER SHOPS NETWORK !! Bless you.