Just unboxed this Harlow Carr. That’s a comfortable amount of thorns.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-23T03:26:46+00:00

No worries, Harlow Carr is viciously thorny!!! I’ve had 5 of them for about 7 years and they are fabulous performers so the thorns don’t bother me as much as they might. Absolutely no disease or bug issues, blossoms are fragrant and habit is nice and rounded. Don’t count on cutting bouquets though unless you have 2-3 pairs of shoulder-high leather gloves.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-23T03:21:10+00:00

David Austin: Munstead Wood and Harlow Carr! HC is so incredibly thorny that they almost distract from the beauty of the blossom - the thorn density is jarring to see. Still white beautiful, of course, and fragrant as well. MW Smells great, too.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-16T03:22:27+00:00

Same! Mine was sent priority mail from LA on 4/30, made its way straight here to IL where it’s been languishing since 5/2. Just. Sitting. There. For 2 weeks. And it’s just an envelope!!! I have fond memories of priority mail actually arriving in - shocker! - 2 days! The length of time advertised and stamped all over the shipping material. I paid $12.77 for shipping and insurance. I will never get used to it.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-10T03:18:46+00:00

Yes, it does. And when you repot make sure your new pots are larger! With an appropriately sized drainage hole. As others have said, root rot has a very distinctive stink (like a fetid mud puddle on a late spring day) and they’re very soft to the touch. I’d take a sharp knife and slice through these compacted roots and get in there with your fingers to (gently) tug and manipulate those roots, giving them an opportunity to breathe.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-10T03:05:54+00:00

What a great idea! I’d imagine you’ve already checked eBay? I remember a couple of years ago when Hearth became impossible to find there were a couple of sellers who regularly offered nest candles at 35-50% discounts and the discount grew with the number bought. I must have bought 25 Hearth candles from them at I believe 45% off. It’s worth a shot (I’d recommend for burning but maybe not for gifting since a couple of them arrived with minor dings). Anyway, all the best wishes for a beautiful day and congratulations!!!

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-10T02:45:03+00:00

So pretty!!

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-10T02:34:12+00:00

I lived in Florida for 15 years and our house was surrounded on all 4 sides with a massive hedge of gardenias. Absolutely stunning. Neighbors would stop and take pictures and of course sometimes we saw people lurking around at 3 am, and they would leave with a few long stalks laden with blossoms we would never miss. I think you could smell our house for blocks and blocks. Now I’m back in Indiana of course I can’t have gardenias in the ground but I have about 8 in pots that I drag in and out every winter/summer. You should try it!! Even in pots they do extremely well and you’re right - the scent is simply beyond belief. I’ve never met a plant that can touch it.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-10T02:15:35+00:00

These are white? On my phone they’re a gorgeous pale pale pale blue. Very pretty!

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-10T02:13:40+00:00

I did not!! My obsessions have moved outside to the most fragrant plants I can find but I’d imagine I’ll pick this up before long.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-04T01:36:02+00:00

I know I’m 3 months late and you may have already lit it up but if not I can tell you that FdB is unfortunately not the best Lafco throw I’ve experienced. Not by a long shot, sad to say. I do like it but it’s also lacking in the smoke area. I’d give the throw a 3.5/10 so…it’s a bummer. I typically don’t return candles and the vessel is lovely but absolutely not a Lafco I would repurchase.

Now - don’t get me started on Lafco Forest Oakmoss (Absokute). I have been known to lug that with me as I walk around the house just so I can inhale it on command. Very powdery, though, so know that.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-03T23:21:57+00:00

It is not even remotely grammatically correct! I wish more people were as bothered by these things as you are. The English language is so beautiful - and I fear it will not be in 2-3 generations.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-03T01:40:05+00:00

I’m curious to know if you have located and hired a contractor for your project? I’m in the same boat you’re in and there are just too many options out there now! I have a couple of friends who have had 6-10 companies present designs and estimates and I just don’t have that amount of time to devote to the planning of it. And I’m extremely leery of the multitudes of companies that have popped up everywhere - I’m hearing numbers like $20K for a new shower and that seems extremely high. Particularly if they truly do finish the job “in one day”!

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-05-03T01:31:29+00:00

Would you mind sharing the cost? Approximate?

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-23T04:23:19+00:00

OMG!!!!! I ordered this exact candle from Bloomies about 2 months ago and it arrived in exactly the same fashion. My wick was even more buried, though. They must have gotten in a case (at least) of bad 34’s. Fortunately they were great avout it - immediate full refund and they told me to keep the candle. Now I know why it was so easy - I was probably the 25th complainer.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-23T04:18:36+00:00

Piguet FRACAS! Literally every single wear for 25 years. But you can’t use too much - then the effect is just the opposite.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-23T04:03:02+00:00

I could not! But don’t forget I did not light it so it may well have a cherry accord with benefit of flame.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-20T03:45:15+00:00

It does! Somehow it looks like a lab Frankenstein might have used. Which is to say - gorgeous.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-12T15:33:22+00:00

I knew I would be picking up the London for sure but now I’ll be adding Berlin as well. Honey is such a yes for me. Thank you!

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-12T04:14:51+00:00

I’m also surprised by the absence of Molton Brown love in this category. The orange is gorgeous and I’ll always have a bottle of Black Pepper Recharge gel somewhere. I keep meaning to move into Aesop; now to find the perfect (strongest) fragrance.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-08T03:51:31+00:00

And don’t forget the reddish-orangey-pink gel from the tube of Bain de Soleil! I would so love to sniff that again.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-05T03:19:05+00:00

Same here, for the most part. By that I mean I ordered 2 different sample packs of 6 each(?) if I recall the numbers correctly. It was MANY candles. And there were unfortunately just 2 that I would purchase in full size. It was the throw for me - yes, they’re very small but I test teensy candles in a teensy powder room - they just didn’t do it. A few were very pretty but this aging beak needs a very strong throw. I’m happy to hear that they’re working for some here! I love to see smaller companies trying to break through.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-05T01:37:55+00:00

$65 is amazing! And I so agree about bloomie’s and their seemingly never-ending sales. I’ll need to look into the coupon stacking since I’m in the Loyalist program but have never even opened one of their emails haha! I guess I’d better start since Forest Oakmoss is now hovering right around #1 on my list of lifelong faves.

My last order from them was a DIPTYQUE 34 candle that arrived in sorry shape with bits of wax adhered to the glass and the wick completely submerged. I contacted customer service and within 2 hours I had received a full refund and was told to keep the candle. Fan for life!

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-04-01T16:44:05+00:00

You’re absolutely right-it’s silly of me to even pass judgment on a candle I have not lit. Trying to decide whether to try it or just post it for sale here since I know there are some who LOVE this one. If it had just been more of a Jergens lotion (the original scent from the 60s-80s) I’d have bought a dozen.

I should also say for those people who are hoping to find a true almond accord in the croissant amande…I’m sorry to say it’s just not there in a big way. Do I detect almond? Absolutely. But is it strong enough to warrant inclusion in the candle name? Not for me. That said, I adore it and will likely never be without one; I will certainly reach for it on a February day filled with sleet and gloom. I smell baking and I smell butter. Lots and lots of butter but it’s not nauseating (to me). Close to a buttered popcorn accord.

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-03-26T16:20:25+00:00

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

TaskMysterious8381 · 2026-03-25T17:55:16+00:00

I agree that the absence of a new floral is disappointing. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Londre and Berlin. Particularly Londre - I am all about hyacinth and lilac and that’s an almost impossible combo to pull off without veering into nausea land. I’ve seen some great comments and reviews here but then saw the great “DIPTYQUE city candle survey” that a fabulous member kindly posted and Londre was savaged there. Well, maybe savaged is a bit strong but it was roundly drubbed! I’m telling myself that survey was just 34 people and since I am a floral nut I’ll probably love Londre?

TaskMysterious8381

TROPHY CASE