Golden Hour

Flowers come in many different shapes, sizes, colours, and scents.  Some have small petals, bursts of colour surrounding the stem; others have large, lush petals that stretch outwards creating magnificent floral imagery.  Some have specific, unmistakable scents we all know and love; other floral scents are loose and changing throughout the day.  The gardenia, for example, is an elegant white flower with wide, sweeping petals all layered together around the stem with a scent, colour, and meaning that is ever-changing rather than static.  Jo Loves by Jo Malone’s new fragrance, Golden Gardenia, takes all that the gardenia stands for and bottles it into a zingy perfume.  Read more below in Golden Hour. Image Harry Stonhill

Flowers are decorations in our homes, scenery outside in parks and fields, and scents we wear on our bodies.  Although they are seemingly used everywhere and anywhere, the meaning behind the specific flower displayed at a certain moment carries a lot of weight.  We give roses to our beloveds Valentine’s Day, we dress up our homes with tulips and lilies in the spring, and we give gardenias when we want to express our joy to someone, such as a housewarming gift or in a wedding bouquet.

A gardenia is a beautiful white flower with large petals and deep green stems and leaves.  Mostly grown in Africa and Asia, gardenias are tough plants that can be grown in sunlight or partial shade and thrive in acidic soils. It’s somewhat contradictory; a delicate white flower that can grow big and strong in some difficult conditions. Even the meanings behind the flower can be contradictory. It can symbolize your knowledge and trust or it can symbolize that you know more than you are supposed to.

Knowledge, trust, joy, love, purity; all different meanings hidden within the petals of a gardenia. The classic, white flower usually stands for those things, but a red gardenia can stand for something completely different. Although red gardenias are not natural, they are engineered, they can be used to symbolize the secret love between two people, as well as passion, admiration, and respect.

The meaning or usage of a gardenia is also different depending on the culture. In Asia where the flower originated it is generally used in medicines or the production of yellow dye. However, in the 1700s the flower was introduced to Europe where it took on the common meanings we use today. Specifically in France, a gardenia is used during special occasions and it is also the national flower of Pakistan.

In addition to their variety of meanings, gardenias also have a variety of uses. Stemming from their symbolism of love and white color, gardenias are popular in wedding bouquets and floral arrangements. However, they are also used medicinally in aromatherapy, teas, and creams.

What makes the gardenia such an interesting and unique flower, beyond its multitude of meanings, is that both its colour and scent can change over time.  Some gardenias start off white, but their petals slowly turn yellow, and they morph into what’s known as a golden magic gardenia.  The smell of gardenias can also change.  You might walk by a gardenia bush in the morning and smell the freshness and creaminess of something that reminds you of a coconut, but walk by that same bush in the evening and you’ll smell something that is green, spicy, and zesty. Sometimes the gardenia scent is reminiscent of other flowers as well, such as jasmine, lilies, or ylang-ylang. The gardenia scent is constantly changing and evolving in the same way that a great perfume does when it sits on your skin.

The bold scent of a gardenia is exactly what Jo Loves put into the new fragrance, Golden Gardenia.  It takes all the facets of a gardenia and bottles it up to make a scent that says ‘I am strong, I am proud, I am golden’. The ever-changing colour, scent, and meaning of the flower reminds the wearer that they are unique and multi-faceted.

A unisex scent, Golden Gardenia incorporates the petal of the flower with cardamom as well as elemi and gray woods.  Together it creates a strong, woodsy, and somewhat spicy scent that is sure to help you carry your confidence around all day. The perfume also reflects the gardenias symbolism of love and purity by encouraging self-love and self-confidence when you wear it.

Jo Loves is a perfume brand founded by perfumer Jo Malone CBE. Malone founded Jo Loves in 2011 following a brief hiatus from making perfumes. The Jo Loves brand is centered around the memories and experiences that inspire each scent. The Golden Gardenia scent specifically was created keeping the strength, integrity, and creativity of defining moments from Jo’s life in mind.

Gardenias are a fascinating flower that doesn’t stay the same way forever; their colour, their scent, their meaning all ebb and flow over time.  Its large, lush petals and deep green leaves stand out in a field among other flowers.  This is what Golden Gardenia by Jo Loves reflects in its own scent; a fresh, zingy, and timeless stand out fragrance.

Golden Gardenia by Jo Love is available now.

If you enjoyed this, read more about recently released perfumes here and here.

.Cent magazine London Be Inspired; Get Involved