By Carol (My mother)

I love jasmine, especially the night-blooming variety. It was on a trip to Bermuda that I first fell in love with its irresistible scent, hanging my head out the window into the night air to drink in the fragrance–dreamy and astringent at the same time.

Later, I spent a lot on a jasmine tree for my sunroom and eagerly anticipated the perfume of its tiny, pale yellow blossoms, but, alas, it dried up and died.

Undeterred, I’m always on the alert for jasmine products of any kind. Years ago, I bought divine-smelling French soaps in jasmine and in lilac (my other favorite scent) but I never found them again. Jasmine is elusive, apparently.

Reed diffusers seem to be the one exception. I recently purchased one with jasmine oil and just installed it in my powder room. A droplet must have fallen on my hand because it smells heavenly. And since I’m about to go to bed, I’m hoping that it will permeate my dreams, perhaps in an aromatherapeutic way.

The reed diffuser is called Olive Oil Organics by Virginia Candle Co. of Forest, VA and is made in the U.S.A. Note: Diffusers can smell fairly strong at first, particularly in a confined space, but they definitely dissipate over time.