Balconies with Geraniums in Paris are Ubiquitous {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses} {Perfume Shopping Tip}

 

One of the trandemark plants you can spot on Parisian balconies are geranium pots. In fact, strike that. It is the plant of the balconies. Thought to repel insects thanks to their citronella accents, people no longer maybe think about those virtues but are just used to putting them out in front of their windows. They are hardy. They are not original, but trustworthy. When in doubt...go for a geranium pot, or several... 

Here's a picture of such one sighting. I liked the harmony of greens and pale yellows the effect rested upon. It's a bit cold, but nervertheless charming - quite Nordic in fact, like pale Baltic amber. This is the Art-Deco, 'hard" geranium look.

 

And here's another sighting, with geranium flowers popping with lipstick red. In this example, you can sense the desire of the urbanite to grow a garden in the midst of concrete, unabated. It is also a convenient way to build a natural and pleasant vegetal screen when you live on street level, i.e., at eye level. 

This has more of an exuberant, untamed countryside look although mind you, those geraniums are potted and cannot escape their confines. 

Next time you take a stroll in Paris, you can observe what other kinds of variations on "Balconies with geraniums" appear in the capital city. The place is strewn horizontally and sky-high with those. 

Perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï had her boutique window-displays designed for the launch of L'Eau Chic in 2011 so as to suggest those eternal Parisian balconies when she centered her perfume on a geranium note. She elected to go for a contrast of red and green with meandering, sinuous lines.

Calling the scent the "chic water" is a bit of a personal position since some people might doubt geranium is a chic bloom, although its natural fragrance is elegantly crisp and treated as such in, usually, chic toiletries. 

Geranium made a comeback in perfume bottles that same year with Géranium pour Monsieur by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. 

Marilyn Monroe by the way, loved geranium, according to archives found at Floris. 

Incidentally, we recommend Nature et Progrès Cosmo Naturel Fleur du Nil Géranium (8,50€), a bio shower gel which smells quite wonderful. 

Geranium is in the palette of fragrance notes of Paris although it's not been sung as such.