Looking for Linden

My morning dog walk now includes a lengthy stop under the two linden trees on the next block. They’re side by side, the only two in the neighborhood as far as I know, and this time of year they’re blooming and smell glorious. From a purely landscaping perspective, lindens are viewed as a mixed bag – they’re messy, dense, and can attract aphids and Japanese beetles – but these two, abuzz with bees, are adding a bit of joy to my days. I think they’re little leaf lindens from Europe vs. the native American linden, which can get massive.

I somehow missed the linden perfume train, or only got on it briefly before I was off, chasing the next thing. I remember linden / tilleul / lime (not the citrus) fragrances being big about 20 years ago, when the perfume universe was smaller. There was D’Orsay Tilleul which I remember trying and not loving (too musky, maybe?) and there’s one from Le Galion. A bit of googling also shows a linden tea from Harney & Sons… L’Artisan La Chasse has linden, I think, but it’s more a mélange of white flowers. The Jo Malone Lime Blossom, which I also don’t remember loving, is discontinued so no joy there.

my jasmine in its pot

So, do you have a favorite linden fragrance? I see the D’Orsay is also discontinued, but I’m up for hunting down some samples of other linden fragrances. Any body products? I think a linden shower gel would be fantastic. What’s up with the linden tea, should I buy some? I like jasmine tea, after all. I bet there’s linden honey or maybe jam out there… yep. Thoughts and recommendations for any and all things linden?  It looks like Portia and Musette have given me somewhere to start, anyway.

Also, not linden, but: I am thrilled with my jasmine which is now blooming in its place of honor near the front door. It’s an old-fashioned jasmine which is not cold-hardy here; I built it an entire fort for over-wintering, then crossed my fingers. It’s back and much more vigorous than last year when I only got a few blooms. It smells absolutely heavenly.

cover image via Pexels