The sweet smell of... Santa Fe

June 11, 2009 4:59 PM

I'm in Santa Fe, NM for the first time (actually, just outside Santa Fe), and there's a sweet floral aroma everywhere. What am I smelling?
posted by Westringia F. to Science & Nature (6 answers total)

I am going to guess desert sage since that's what San Bernardino smells like at dawn.
posted by effluvia at 5:16 PM on June 11, 2009

We've had a lot of rain this month so everything is blooming. It could be the sage and you can ask the local new age/health food store (I know that Natural Grocer or the Ark bookstore has some) for a sage stick to get a sample sniff.

I'm southeast of town and our honeysuckles are really fragrant along with the purple robe locust and penstemmons. It always smells great during and right after a downpour.
posted by jabo at 6:38 PM on June 11, 2009

That's sage.

And the sweet, sweet smell of Santa Fe.

Enjoy it. I wish I was back there right now. In fact, I would give one of my toes to be living in Santa Fe again; and I live in a pretty great neighborhood in Denver, so I don't exactly live in hell here.
posted by koeselitz at 9:15 PM on June 11, 2009

Indeed, the sage. What is even better is when it starts cooling down in the fall, and people start burning piñon in the fireplaces. Santa Fe is beautiful to all the senses.
posted by azpenguin at 10:59 PM on June 11, 2009

Best answer: I'm no expert on plants, but it could also be the smell of Russian Olive. I've lived here almost all my life, and that scent is one of the reasons.
posted by omphale27 at 3:03 PM on June 12, 2009 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: After many hikes & sniffing around -- it is indeed the Russian Olive flowers. Not that the juniper & sage smell any less awesome, though.

Thank you all. After only a month there, I understand how one can so easily fall in love with Santa Fe.
posted by Westringia F. at 7:48 PM on July 6, 2009