Christmas of 2010.
I get up at the crack of dawn on December 26 to do my annual day-after-Christmas clearance shopping.
First stop.
Target.
Oh how I love Target the day after Christmas!
I spy paperwhite bulb kits for 50% off.
I buy two kits.
I've always wanted to force paperwhites inside in January.
They are so pretty.
And will certainly liven up the house during the grey dreary months of winter.
I have a conversation with my friend Beth who proceeds to tell me they stink.
What?
Paperwhites stink?
I've never heard that before, I say.
She insists they stink.
I grow my paperwhites anyway.
In a nice galvanized bucket.
Even though I have a black thumb, I decide to try.
They grow and grow.
I have to tie them up because they get so big and tall.
And then they bloom.
Oh the sweet petite white blooms!
And then one day it happens.
I'm walking through the kitchen and there it is.
Some sort of strange smell.
Kind of like trash.
Or something rotten in the garbage disposal.
Yep, it was my pretty, sweet paperwhites stinking up my house!
Who knew?
I call my mother-in-law who is a Master Gardener.
She says, oh yes, paperwhites have a very distinct smell about them.
I would definitely describe that smell as distinct!
Poor paperwhites, they had to go!
I just couldn't take the smell.
But Keely rescued them and took them home to enjoy the remainder of their prettiness.
Maybe my nose is just sensitive?
My husband didn't mind it and Keely didn't seem to notice it either.
What's your take?
Do you think paperwhites stink?
Just curious!
~ keep dreaming ~
Polly
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12 comments:
I grew some for Christmas and maybe I was just lucky but mine didn't smell too bad. Mine were also super tall though! It was crazy!
Yes, I think they have a smell to them. Sometimes they smell sweet and others not so much. I looked everywhere for them this year and couldn't find any. I had envisioned them everywhere in the house this holiday season:) Maybe I was lucky? lol
~Debra xxx
Capers of the vintage vixens
I think maybe they start out smelling good and then just get too strong. My experience is that most men really hate the smell. A couple'a Christmas's ago, I hosted a luncheon for the ladies at my church and we all potted up some bulbs. One of the husbands thought they smelled like kerosene!
I still grow them every winter...they're just so pretty. FYI, I had read that if you water them with a solution of alcohol and water it would keep them shorter. It worked!
Blessings, Susie
Me, too, I'm afraid. They smell like cat pee to me! Mine went straight to the garbage can, but nobody rescued them. I think next year I'll try amaryllis!
Polly~ I posted asking about this on my facebook page... my husband thought something died in the kitchen...lol
THey are so pretty but the smell is not for me!
Hello! I was just thinking about paperwhites. I bought a set at least a year ago and then put them in our storage area and forgot to use them. I think I'll try them soon. Even if they don't bloom I'll be able to reuse the pot. Now I will be on the lookout for the smell. The flower that I think is really strong is the lily. I was in a wedding years ago and they were in the bouquet I had. It was so hard to sit through the ceremony with them. Funny how things so pretty can smell that bad! Oh, your chair fabric choice is so nice. Going exploring and shopping sounds like such a fun way to spend your day.
I will never buy these suckers again~ they reek!! And they get so darn tall and leggy. Nope... never again!
I really don't get how people think they smell good....
Oh yeah! They do have a rotting like odor! They are fun to grow and see them sprout up everyday and they are pretty but, yuck, they made my whole house smell!~Hugs, Patti
They are really pretty and I have never tried to grow them but that really does stink that they stink.
xox
Oh that's funny! I have some blooming here right now and I just went over and smelled them, they are kind of sickeningly sweet to me and remind me a little bit of Easter lilies. xo ~Lili
I've never tried to grow them (since I do not have a green thumb). Guess I won't be trying them at all now!!
polly, i did get some again this year and they were teeny little bulbs that seem to grow not so tall as usual. the flowers are just starting to form. the smell is weird and mr. sweetpea complained the entire time they were in bloom last year. he is away right now so i can have them. i love the look but they do stink...
hugs,
shelley
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