Something is always in bloom at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Whether it’s a rare orchid, the mangroves lining Sarasota Bay or the bromeliads surrounding the koi pond, diverse fragrances fill the air.

During a fragrance masterclass at Selby Gardens in March, French perfumer Anastasia Sokolow shared the joys of Selby's—and Florida's—botanical aromas in an immersive class filled with essential oils, distillations and a deep dive into Florida’s many aromatic natural habitats.

Sokolow owns the perfume house Sulékó, based in Paris, France, and has been developing her skills as a perfumer her whole life. “My sense of smell has always been very sensitive,” she says. “Since I was little, I’ve stopped to smell everything.”

Although she's based in France, Sokolow has been visiting Florida several times a year since childhood. Through those visits, she’s developed a deep love for the state’s many unique ecosystems and has explored more of Florida’s secret wild spaces than most locals. That's how she developed her signature Florida fragrance, called Florida Vibrations.

In her Selby Gardens class, Sokolow instructed students to “explore the riches of the natural habitats of Florida.” She described ecosystems like hardwood forests, marshes, swamps and dunes, sharing photos that she's collected through her travels. She also provided leaves and sticks for students to smell, as well as fragrance notes to help set each sense of place.

Florida Vibrations begins in a hardwood forest (which Sarasotans can experinece at Myakka River State Park). To mimic the experience of actually being there, Sokolow introduces oak moss extract, which evokes wet wood and undergrowth . She accompanies the oak moss with neroli, or orange blossom essence, explaining that despite Florida’s reduction in citrus production due to citrus greening, orange trees can actually be found nestled throughout the forest—“thriving under the wide canopy of the Florida native live oaks.”

Moving into the hydric hammock, characterized by natural springs throughout Central Florida, Sokolow invited students to use their hands to crush the leaves of a sweet gum tree branch on their table, describing the scent as fresh and resinous. For Sokolow, hydric hammock as a whole—which also features water, cypress and magnolia trees, and underwater prairies—is filled with botanical fragrances accompanied by mud and wet minerals. 

From the hydric hammock, Sokolow brought the class to Florida’s marshes and swamps, inviting Selby Gardens director of education Tracy Calla to share details about Selby's preservation efforts at Fakahatchee in the Everglades, where Selby botanists are aiding in the restoration of Tillidansia utriculata, an epiphyte threatened by an invasive weevil. Through the meticulous effort—which involve using a leaf blower to manually distribute Tillidansia utriculata's seed puffs throughout the region—the plant is making a successful resurgence. 

The next stop is the shoreline, where mangroves filter salt and brackish water in the aquatic forest. Sokolow describes the mangrove’s fragrance as a mix of greenery, butter and warm vanilla. To replicate it, she uses galbanum essence, which captures similar notes.

The journey through Florida ends in the pine flatwoods, which can also be found in Myakka at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve. Sokolow chose Cedrus atlantica (atlas cedar), a warm, rich extract, to represent the ecosystem.

“Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a forest right after the rain,” Sokolow said, as if leading a guided meditation. “The grass is full of raindrops that slowly evaporate under the first rays of the sun. It's springtime and the magnolias are blooming their invigorating, citrusy freshness surrounded by the soft, calming fragrance of orange blossoms. 

“Paddle on your kayak and smell that salty scent of the water on your skin,” she continued. “You reach the beach and walk towards the sand dunes to feel that warm, soft smell of sand on the breeze, the woody smell of pine trees that mixes with the driftwood on the sand. It's very quiet and you just absorb this energizing, joyful peace.”

A beautiful reminder of why we love where we live so much. 

Florida Vibrations is available for purchase for $193 on the Sulékó website. For more information about upcoming Selby Gardens events, click here.