Scents of a city

PRAHA (PRAGUE), June 9, 2018 — Late spring’s cool breezes carry the light, sweet fragrance of linden flowers. In an urban setting, lipa (linden) offers shade while taking up precious little space. In less confined settings they grow tall and spreading, rich with aromatic flowers that can be harvested to make smooth, refreshing teas. For just a few weeks each spring, linden’s fragrance mingles with lavender and roses at public gardens such as Botanicka zahrada, where roses, lavender and flowering catalpa trees join the sensory mix, and where birdsong provides a soothing buffer from the city’s clatter. Botanicka Zahrada is the next tram stop after Sts. Cyril and Methodius church, where a museum and Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror reside. Meanwhile, at the village of Lidice, linden trees line the main street, 10 Cerven 1942. Linden, national tree of Czech Republic, figures prominently in Slavic legend and literature.

Botanical Garden of the Natural Sciences Faculty of Charles University (Botanická zahrada Přírodovědecké fakulty Univerzity Karlovy)

Copyright 2017 by Elizabeth Cernota Clark

Bridge Catalpa1 Catalpa2 Lavender