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Hi Tom and thanks for contacting us.

It’s a bit of a tricky question to answer really and I’ll try and be brief.  The thing with SG’s is that a strong scent in the air is mainly achieved by releasing the oils in the leaves.  However, some of the very strong scenteds do naturally emit fragrance perhaps on a lesser scale but this can still be detected in a room for example.  Further, doors being opened and closed, windows open where there is a breeze, insect/fly movement, even people walking in a room – all will sort of shake the plant and the fragrance will then be stronger.  Certainly when I walk into our greenhouse the scents are very strong being as we have so many plants in one area.  Also, as the plant becomes larger the scent becomes more intense but this does vary from one cultivar to another, i.e. some have subtle scents and some have very intense scents.  A neighbour about ½ mile down the lane from us says that they can smell the fragrance in the air when the wind is in their direction.  I guess being as I am in contact with the scenteds on a daily basis I am so used to them that the scent would be less for me, although I still find growing these beauties an absolute pleasure.  They are totally fascinating!

The only thing that I would suggest would be for you to try out one or two and see if you capture the memory of your Mother that you so vividly describe.  I have received similar enquiries from other people and without the actual name it is practically impossible for me to say which scented would be the one that you remember as many have similar scents although they are classified individually.  I would recommend Sweet Miriam who has a very strong rose like scent, subtle and intense, and does make a large plant with lots of pretty pink flowers.  At this time of the year the SG’s put on a lot of growth and it doesn’t take long before you would have a mature specimen.  There are plenty of tips on how to grow and care for scenteds on our website.

Hope that helps.

Best regards