Like with the Pacific Ocean, you can often smell California native plants long before you spot them in nature.
But you no longer have to head outdoors to hiking trails, local parks and specialty nurseries to experience their rejuvenating perfume.
L.A. Times Plants has teamed up with Los Angeles-based P.F. Candle Co. for a limited-edition candle collection that celebrates native plants and brings the intoxicating scents of the Golden State indoors.
After meeting with staff writers Lisa Boone and Jeanette Marantos, Features Editor Brittany Levine Beckman and Deputy Managing Editor Amy King, who shared their favorite native bouquets, the development team at P.F. Candle Co. hit the trails, sniffing their way through the sages and sagebrush at the Silver Lake meadow, local botanical gardens and native plant shops. They even camped in the Angeles National Forest to sample a vanilla-scented Jeffrey pine.
“Much of our scent inspiration comes from nature — from hikes, to forests, to backyard gardens, or just re-creating particular natural scents we loved,” says Kristen Pumphrey, founder and creative director of P.F. Candle Co.
Following the company’s hands-on research, the candles have arrived in time for holiday gift-giving. The limited-edition collaboration includes three soy candles in P.F. Candle Co.’s trademark amber glass jars (which can be recycled at the Echo Park flagship) including Jeffrey Pine, influenced by Pinus jeffreyi with notes of ponderosa bark, vanilla bean, juniper and campfire; California Black Walnut, influenced by Juglans Californica with notes of lime leaf, green moss, walnut husk and black amber; and Cowboy Cologne, a common nickname for the sweet-smelling Artemisia Californica (or California sagebrush), with notes of blue sage, vetiver, cypress and rosemary.
The candles are designed, developed, produced and packed in Los Angeles and are available at P.F. Candle Co. stores in L.A. (Echo Park) and San Francisco (North Beach) or at pfcandleco.com. Candles are sold separately or as a three-pack gift set, starting at $24.
