Ralph Waldo Emerson memorably said, “The earth laughs in flowers,” which captures the joy people find in cottage gardens and cheerful urban flower plantings. Unlike color, fragrance is ephemeral, invisible, and hard to describe, but just as powerful! It summons memories, provides comfort, and often takes gardeners and garden visitors to exotic parts of the world. In this session, Chris will explore the language of fragrance, review a classic classification system, and journey through the scented bloom cycle. Get in the spirit and bring a new level of creativity and enjoyment to gardening, flower arranging, and garden visiting.

Christopher Barrett Sheridan is an award-winning civic educator, pursuing a second career in horticulture and planting design. Chris specializes in scented plants, cottage garden design, Arts and Crafts design, the Language of Flowers, garden history, and heirloom plants.
Chris is an instructor with Longwood Gardens and a returning presenter at the Philadelphia Flower Show, both in Pennsylvania. Some recent programs have focused on fragrant ikebana and scented native plants. Upcoming programs will explore moon gardens and cocktail container design.

Because of his emphasis on fragrant flowers and experience in the wine industry, Chris branded his website The Flower Sommelier (www.flowersommelier.com), to remind everyone that flowers are best appreciated up close, with the eyes, hands, and nose. Chris has been published in The American Gardener and is frequently interviewed by fellow garden writers when their subject includes scented plants or sensory gardens. He hopes to launch a podcast in 2025, something fun, unconventional, and focused on wild and romantic gardens. Chris is an active member of Garden Communicators International (GardenComm), The Fling, the American Public Gardens Association, and the Hardy Plant Society. Chris gardens in suburban Philadelphia and at the New Jersey shore. He is very pleased to be a part of the 2025 International Master Gardener Conference.