KINMOKUSEI


Each year, one morning in late September I wake up having completely forgotten one of the finest fragrances on earth, and am reminded once more by the very subtle perfume that wafts in the window on the pulses of the moist morning mountain air, seeming to belong more properly in dreams, not in real life, the nose ambrosia of the kinmokusei (Osmanthus fragrans), that amazing blend of the essences of apricot, peach, cream and several other nuances that are ancient familiars to the nose, but that the mind knows nothing of. And from this most retiring of flowers, tiny apricot-cream buddings along the branches, only visible from up close, comes this astonishing profundity of scent.

When I first experienced the fragrance, I stood looking around in the garden, right on the edge of heaven, with no idea where this priceless treasure was emanating from; not a flower in sight but a couple of late marigolds... I never suspected the big clunky "hedges" (2 meters-plus high) lining the edge of the property at the far road, that had been planted by the former owner and didn't really serve well as hedges, being too open at the bottom and requiring frequent pruning; they looked to be a hassle and I was thinking of replacing them with something that did more than just "hedge" ineffectually, that maybe bore fruit or something (I'm not a big fan of the merely ornamental). But once I realized that they were the source of this annual paradise, I became their servant for life, in return for certain mornings each September.