Ariel
I placed my order of spring blooming bulbs with Brent and Becky’s Bulbs and expect to get them in late October. I ordered hyacinth, muscari, allium, paperwhites, tulips, and an amaryllis. In addition to the quality, part of the reason why I ordered from this family-owned bulb company in Virginia is that I wanted a better scented paperwhite than Ziva.
Ziva is the most common paperwhite that you will find in the local garden centers. Paperwhites are a type of daffodil that does not need a chilling period. The bulbs are grown indoors, usually in a glass with water and pebbles. In just 6 weeks, they bloom.
Winter Sun
But Ziva blossoms do not produce the “breath of fresh air” one imagines in the winter. Instead, you may be thinking you have a gas leak or worse — rotting meat. What causes this offensive odor? Indole. Indole exists in trace amounts in gardenias, jasmine, and tuberose (all of which I do like). In these trace amounts, indole becomes more floral and less offensive. It is not surprising that small amounts of indole are used in perfume, such as Chanel No. 5.
However, Ziva has a higher level of indole than others. I do not care for it so I was looking for paperwhites with lower levels and thus better scents. I purchased Wintersun because I like the contrast of the dark yellow cup against the white petals. Others to try are Inball (white flowers), Ariel (white), Nir (white), and Grand Soleil d’Or (yellow with orange cup).
Grand Soleil d’Or
For a better fragrance, try growing something other than Ziva this year. They may not be available in your local garden center but they are available from specialty bulb companies.
All photos courtesy of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.
Wow, I am glad I never noticed or encountered this. I have worked with paperwhites for as long as I can remember, but never selected them. My first came from an abandoned cut flower field near my Pa’s home in Montara. The cultivar might have been from the 1920s. Some still grow in my home garden. The paperwhites at work have been there longer than anyone can remember, and some of them could have been there since the early 1970s. Acquiring them by this manner is easier than selecting them.
Thank you for this interesting article. I didn’t know that there were different varieties of paperwhites. I always enjoyed them but a friend told me that they didn’t like them because they smelled bad. I thought that was odd because I thought paperwhites had a wonderful fragrance.