Flower power and diplomacy: Versailles perfume gardens transport public back in time
The Versailles gardens were once famed as a symbol of the king’s expeditionary might and helped water-deprived courtiers perfume smelly skin VERSAILLES, France -- The Versailles flower gardens were once a symbol of the French king’s expeditionary might and helped water-deprived courtiers perfume their skin. Now, they have been reimagined to give today’s public a glimpse — and a sniff — into the gilded palace’s olfactory past. Holding secrets to the original concept of flower power , scents of Bulgarian rose, mint and citrus from hundreds of vividly colored historic blooms unveiled this week waft into the nostrils of paying visitors at the Chateauneuf Orangery of the Grand Trianon, transporting them back in time. “Those discovering the gardens will, from flower to flower, understand what we loved in history,” Versailles Palace president Catherine Pegard said. “Many are the original scents.” The aim of the Perfumer’s Garden is to unlock the mysteries and significance behind the scented f...