Question
About three years ago my mother died.  From the funeral I kept two potted palms as house plants. They are each about three feet high and for the first time, they are blooming.  It is the end of November here.  Three days ago I awoke from a mid-day nap wondering about the heavy perfume scent I was smelling.  I determined that the smell was coming from the blooms of the two palms.  The scent is very strong throughout the house and is starting to effect my allergies.  I am tempted to cut-off the blooms to kill the smell, but I didn't want to adversely impact the plant.  

Unfortunately, I do not know the specific species of the palm plant, but can you tell me anything about these blooms (e.g., when will the smell go away, what will happen if I cut off the blooms, etc.)?

Thanks,
Clarence Smith  

Answer
Clarence,

It will not hurt the plant if you cut the blooms off. The scent is there to attract insects to polinate the flowers and create seeds. In fact with the flowers on the plant devotes more energy to the flowers and th attempt to create seeds. If you remove them the plant will devote more energy to staying healthy itself. I too have allergy problems and understnd your problem. Good luck.

Darlene