The largest fragrance family is the floral family. It’s no surprise, considering there is such a vast multitude of species of flower and tree plants found in different regions around the globe, all with their own beauty, healing properties, and aromas. It is also the largest in terms of timeline; floral perfume’s earliest beginnings date back to ancient Egyptian culture, when people bathed in fragrant oils of jasmine, lily and rose. The first perfumes were simple mixes of oils with crushed herbs and petals.

Some floral fragrances are single-flower scents; others are rich multi-floral bouquets. Floral notes of some kind or another are found in most all fragrances, both men’s and women’s, and can be bisected into scents that are green, fresh, fruity, or amber-y floral, also known as floriental fragrances.

Perhaps the most famous floral perfume is Chanel’s CHANEL NO. 5 perfume, which uses a heavy jasmine flower base. No. 5 set a new stride socially for women’s perfume in 1921, but was also a quality favorite, and has remained a classic scent until today. Its top notes of ylang-ylang and neroli unfold with jasmine and May rose; sandalwood and vanilla round out the elegant composition with unforgettable woody notes. It is a notable example of a floral fragrance for women.

Botanical gardens host some of the world’s most impressive collections of plants in their non-perfume forms, from unusual trees to exotic flowers and lush ferns. The Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, is renowned for its 528 acres of beautiful and diverse flora, set against the eastern slope of Table Mountain. Strolling among its indigenous South African plants, including the colourful Cinderella orchid flower, blush pink Belladonna lily, and the African mallow, a dainty evergreen flower that blooms late into autumn, JEAN PAUL GAULTIER SUMMER’S bouquet of lush notes waft well among the hints of natural flora on the breeze.

Up in a colder climate, MONTREAL’s Botanical Gardens is one of the largest of its kind in the world, a 185 acre living museum of plants from around the world. Large outdoor gardens and incubated greenhouses lay across Maisonneuve Park, and are framed by Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. If you visit between the frigid months of February and April, the outdoor gardens may be bare and covered in snow but you can still witness the annual Butterflies Go Free event—- where thousands of species of butterflies and moths are released in the Garden’s exhibition greenhouses. Stay light and fresh around all the wildlife with CASHMERE MIST by DKNY.

You can find one of Europe’s most complete collections of plant species at the Arboretum National des Barres in LOIRET, FRANCE, about 100 miles south of Paris. This lush wonderland of greenery houses about 3,000 species of plants, including 109 species of oak, 85 species of maple, 57 spruce, and 44 types of fir tree. Try woodsy ROMANCE BY RALPH LAUREN while you stroll the garden grounds.

Bogar Botanical Garden in INDONESIA claims to be one of Asia’s oldest gardens; gates to the 200 acre spot of land first opened in 1817. Today, Bogar is filled with over 15,000 species of trees and plants—- its orchid house alone contains 3,000 varieties of the delicate flower. It is also known for housing the world’s largest orchid: a grammatophyllum speciousum, a species that can grow up to 2,000 pounds and produce up to 10,000 flowers on a mature plant. Try sporting orchid-rich EUPHORIA by Calvin Klein.

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