How to Make Your Own Potpourri

For centuries we have captured the scents of herbs and flowers and brought them indoors to enjoy. Whether we simply pick a jar full of roses for the kitchen table or carefully dry individual stalks of lavender for the bath, we take great pleasure in fragrance from the garden.

During medieval times these scents were even more important than they are today. Sanitary practices were not always part of everyday life, and streets—sometimes even homes—were filled with unpleasant odors. Women often carried small bags of scented herbs to hold to their noses as they walked the street, hence the term nosegay.

Potpourri is a mixture of dried petals and herbs combined for their fragrance and color. There are two main kinds of potpourri, moist and dry. While moist mixtures retain their fragrance for much longer periods of time, dry potpourri are much easier and quicker to make and, being more attractive, are often displayed in glass jars or open bowls or containers.

A fixative, usually orris root, is added to the petals and plant parts to help the scent last longer. Without this fixative, the fragrance of the potpourri would fade quickly. Essential oil made from various flowers and herbs is also added to the mixture. This enhances and amplifies the scent.

Although many complicated recipes exist for making beautiful potpourri, the basic process is relatively easy and need not be confusing or time-consuming. The mixtures can be dry or moist and can be made to feature any number of dominant scents, such as sweet, spicy, woodsy, or citrusy.

The following flowers and herbs are useful in creating a mixture. Carefully blend scents that are pleasing to you and that seem to be in the same general fragrance family.

Sweet: Chamomile, Daffodil, Gardenia, Lavender, Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Marigold, Rose, Sweet Pea, Violet

Spicy: Allspice, Carnation, Cinnamon, Ginger, Mint, Vanilla beans

Woodsy: Hemlock, Pine, Rosemary, Spruce, Sweet woodruff, Thyme

Citrusy: Bee balm, Florida Azalea, Lemon Balm, Lemon grass, Lemon Peel, Lemon verbena, Orange peel, Scented Geraniums

Materials:

4-6 cups dried scented flower petals and herbs

1 cup small flower heads or blossoms for color and texture

2 tablespoons powdered orris root

4-5 drops essential oil (a small bottle of essential oil will make gallons of potpourri)

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a large container.

Mix these ingredients together with your hands, turning the ingredients over and over
until it becomes well blended.

Place the mixture in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and allow this mixture
to mellow for 6 weeks. To make sure the scents blend well, shake or mix every few days.

After about 5 to 6 weeks the potpourri is ready to use and can be put into small bags, placed the mixture in an open dish, or keep the mixture in a potpourri container.

Variations:

Many different kinds of potpourri can be created based on similar scents or colors. Here is some suggestions:

Rosy Red Potpourri

3 cups red rose petals and buds

1 cup pink rose petals

1/4 cup red cockscomb

1/4 cup red globe amaranth blossoms

2 tablespoons powdered orris root

4 drops rose essential oil

Note: To turn this into a Christmas potpourri, add sprigs of dried rosemary and pine needles.

Lavender Blue Potpourri

2 cups dried lavender flowers

1 cup white rose petals

1/2 cup bachelor’s button flower heads

1/2 cup blue pansies

2 tablespoons powdered orris root

4 – 5 drops lavender essential oil

Just use your own imaginations and make what ever combinations that pleases you.