• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Mignonette

January 30, 2013 By Carol Michel 9 Comments

Mignonette, picture from Select Seeds

“Soon the rumor of its fragrance carried it across the Channel to London where it was so much used in window boxes that a writer of the time said, “We have frequently found the perfume of of Mignonette so powerful in some of the better streets that we have considered it sufficient to protect the inhabitants from those effluvia which bring disorders with them in the air.”  ~ The Fragrant Path: A Book About Sweet Scented Flowers and Leaves by Louise Beebe Wilder (New York:  The Macmillan Company, 1932)

I’ve spent an evening, more or less, exploring the world of Mignonette, Reseda odorata.  

The end of the story is that I ordered seeds for Mignonette, and a few other scented flowers, from Select Seeds. I decided to set aside one of the planting beds in the Vegetable Garden Cathedral for a cutting garden which will include several annuals known for their fragrance, including Mignonette.

As best I can tell, Mignonette will be a weedy, not overly attractive flower, growing to about 18 inches, but it will be sweetly scented, almost like raspberries.

I checked my copy of The Annuals of Flowerland by Alice T. A. Quackenbush (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1927) to see what Quackenbush wrote about this particular annual flower.

She noted that Mignonette “likes rich soil and does not take kindly to transplanting”. She also recommended not dis-budding it to increase the size of the bloom and suggested the variety ‘Machet’ for “all-around excellence, and you cannot go wrong”.

I took as a sign that I should buy the seeds when I found that Select Seeds has the variety ‘Machet‘.  Hopefully, eight or so weeks after direct sowing it in the spring, Mignonette will bloom in my garden and I can smell it for myself. I can also use it to protect myself from effluvia, which fortunately for me isn’t as prevalent around my garden as it apparently was around the streets of London at the turn of the 20th century.

When I finally smell the blooms, I’ll also think of good deeds and the story of how this flower got its name, Mignonette.  To quote Quackenbush…

“The Mignonette is associated with the story of a mortal maid. This young girl was not beautiful; quite the contrary, and spent most of her time in tears over the lamentable fact.  One day she was visited by a fairy, disguised as an old woman, who offered her the gift of beauty if she would promise to obey her orders for one year.   No lifting of the face, no cosmetics, were suggested by this wise old beauty specialist; merely to do a good deed each day and never look in a mirror.  When the fairy vanished, as a reminder to the maiden of her promise she left a plant in a vase.  The flower of this plant was inconspicuous, but as fragrant as a good deed, and when the maiden saw it she cried, “You little darling (Mignonette)!”  Lest any one doubt the efficacy of this cure for ugliness, the story ends by telling how when the year was out the good fairy returned and held a mirror before the face which had formerly been unlovely– and lo, the expression of discontent had completely disappeared and a gentle sweetness, like that of the Mignonette, had taken its place.”

Please note that the fairy disguised as an old woman in the story of Mignonette is no relation that I know of to the old woman at the door who sometimes visits me in my garden.  Though I think my old woman would  approve of doing good deeds each day, and of growing an unattractive flower for its fragrance.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: annuals, books

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    January 30, 2013 at 3:56 am

    I have often considered growing Mignonette for its fragrance but have never gotten around to it. I look forward to a full report when it blooms.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    January 30, 2013 at 11:54 am

    What an enchanting post, Carol. Your old gardening books are full of wisdom, indeed. I am glad to report there is little effluvia here anymore, or is there? Must find mignonette seeds.
    Frances

    Reply
  3. Layanee says

    January 30, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    Let's all grow mignonette this year and compare our experiences. Entertaining and informative, Carol.

    Reply
  4. Christys Cottage Wildlife Garden says

    January 30, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    Thank you for the wonderful post on Mignonette. I completely passed it by in my Select Seed catalog, but after reading your post I may have to get some seeds.

    Reply
  5. Gail says

    January 30, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    A sweet post about a sweet smelling flower…. I so enjoyed the story of the maiden and the Old Woman. One of the best 'moral' tales I ever hear.

    Reply
  6. donna says

    January 30, 2013 at 9:07 pm

    I'd never heard of Mignonette until this week. Someone mentioned its 'insignificant flower and sweet, heavenly fragrance' in a fb gardening group and now your lovely post. I've learned something this week and that's a good thing.

    Reply
  7. Dee Nash says

    January 31, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Oh shoot. Now I want Mignonette too. I want to smell it.~~Dee

    Reply
  8. Helen says

    February 1, 2013 at 2:56 am

    I wish you better luck with your mignonette than I've experienced. And I'm sure you'll have it! Looking forward to the nose news.

    Reply
  9. alphonsegaston says

    February 1, 2013 at 7:46 am

    In the first influential language of flowers, created in 1819 by Louise Cortambert, under the pen name Charlotte de Latour, Mignonette means "your qualities surpass your charms," not a very encouraging message for a young woman to receive. The language of flowers as created by Latour was the language of the love affair, meant for a man to address a woman.

    I have never smelled mignonette, but would like to. Perhaps I too w
    ill order it and it can be my "longshot" of year.

    Beverly Seaton

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,047)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT