Take Action (events)

Opening up magazines, literally, blow you away these days with the stench of perfume or cologne. Room deodorizers are often too strong as well and the smell often lingers unwanted. A great way to freshen up your house, naturally, is to bring the outdoors in with the cuttings of fresh flowers from your own garden or your favorite local market. Not only do the beautiful fragrances linger throughout but it also adds color. Want to learn more? The Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, NY is offering a two-day event this weekend called “Landscape Pleasures” with guest speakers who will explain fragrances and scents from plants. Also included is a self-guided tour of six gardens throughout the Hamptons. If you can’t get out there this weekend, on July 9th the Brooklyn Botanic Garden will begin a two-month celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Alice Recknagel Ireys Fragrance Garden (shown above), the first garden in the country designed for the sight-impaired. (The cells that interpret smell are among the few in our brains that continue to be replaced throughout our lives.) Guided and self-guided tours will be available. ::Brooklyn Botanic Garden Via ::New York Times (subscription)