Aromatherapy

Spring brings with it one of life’s bugbears…mowing. Every year I dream up ideas to lessen the amount of lawn in my yard, for it covers quite an area, predominantly more than in new housing estates where monolithic brick boxes spring up, occupying almost the entire space, leaving pocket handkerchief gardens I suspect even the birds and bees have trouble finding. 

 But there is one bonus to this chore I receive at this time of year when doing the fortnightly mowing. I have a lemon scented Eucalypt, lemon scented Geranium and honey scented Melaleuca in the backyard, all of which are flowering at the moment. 

As I pass the Melaleuca the aroma is almost intoxicating, and I’m left with faint hints of it on my clothes if I brush against the flowers. The fresh smell of lemon stays on my hands as I crush the geranium leaves and breathe in their sweetness, and as I mow around the base of the tree the dry leaves give off the most beautiful lemon scent as they are chopped and mulched along with the grass.

There is the constant buzz of bees flitting from flower to flower, drinking their fill and probably getting drunk in the process. It’s a joy to be surrounded by nature’s gifts, making my regular lawn haircutting task not so onerous after all.

Sweet scented honey

and lemon in abundance

heady aromas