From the ground up

Fruits, flowers and animal prints burst onto the runway at the spring collections in Paris and Milan recently. Monkeys scrambled up the sides of a Prada blouse and wild orchids saturated dresses by Akris. In New York, the designers at Rodarte were inspired by the nature and redwoods of California. If fashion imitates life which imitates fashion, then now seems the time to have a big garden party.

Despite ash clouds, earthquakes and floods, nature is there to, well, nurture. And when feeling overly wired, a bit of the organic and primordial may be the perfect antidote.

"People are so often in front of their computer screens and detached from the sensual world,"Mandy Aftel, a natural perfumer who wrote "Essence and Alchemy," told The Times. The home garden has become the home lab for harvesting a fragrance, and Ms. Aftel said she has "observed an absolute explosion of interest." This community of natural perfumers explores the craft of making scents without the synthetic and heavy aromas in commercial perfumery.