Where to get your ingredients:
Ask at the florist shop for any discarded flowers, or dry out your own flowers.
Handle your herbs and flowers carefully to avoid bruising them. Once the have been bruised you will have lost any value in them for their essential oils.
The best time to collect leaves, roots, flowers and seeds is in the early morning after the dew has evaporated.
Choose plants that are clean, free of any pests or diseases. Choose flowers that are newly opened.
Always collect 4 times the amount you will need for the final potpourri mix as flowers, leaves etc will shrink when dried.
Drying Methods
The drying process usually takes up to 2 weeks in general. There are two processes for drying flowers and herbs. Keep in a warm dark place that has good air circulation.
Air Drying: Using a window screen works quite well. It allows air circulation around the plant material. Place the flowers and or herbs on a single layer. Do not pack them tightly together or on top of each other or they will decompose. Takes about one week to be completely dried out.
Hanging: Fasten together several small bunches, tie the stems off with elastics or string. Hang them upside down to dry out.
Storing The Potpourri
Store your “New” potpourri in airtight containers or plastic bags. Store in a cool dark place until needed.
To make the potpourri you basically need four main ingredients.
- Flowers & leaves
- Essential oils
- Spices and Herbs
- Fixative.
METHOD #1
Basic Potpourri
In a small bowl put your fixative which is orris root. (Orris Root helps to hold the scent, this is why it is called a fixative) Now is the time to add any other powders like cinnamon, or nutmeg, or other spices. Add 7-9 drops of fragrance oil or essential oil per 1 tablespoon of orris root. Mix this together really well and then store in an airtight container for 1-7 days. The longer you store the stronger it gets.
- After your orris root has cured , mix your other ingredients together.
- Add your orris root fixative to the other dry ingredients
- Place in an airtight container and leave in a dark place for 4-6 weeks.
- Shake the container daily
- After the curing time, transferr the potpourri to your decorative container of choice.
Suggested combinations of ingredients
Country Time
- Apple Slices
- orange peel
- cinnamon sticks or pieces
- cockscomb
- cloves and rosehips
- scent with apple cinnamon fragrance oil
Lady Victorian
- lavender buds
- rosebuds and petals
- colored babu
- angel wings colored
- straw flowers colored
- scent with lavender or rose or musk
Christmas
- Globe Flowers white
- small pine cones
- Angel wings white
- Cedar Tips
- Scent with Christmas Pine Fragrance oil
Use your imagination! These make great gifts!
METHOD #2
Basic recipe for potpourri
- 3 Cups pink rose petals
- 3 Cups red rose petals
- 2 Cups miniature rosebuds
- 2 Cups lavender
- 1 Cup rose leaves
- 2 Tablespoons powdered orris root (fixative) or fiberfix
- 15 Drops rose oil
1. Spread the fresh petals on a mesh screen or on a large tray; place them in a warm, dry place, and stir or spread them around a little everyday until they are dry. Put dried petals in a large glass or metal bowl.
2. Add a fixative such as powdered orris root, oak moss, cellulose,ground gum benzoin or fiberfix. Use a ratio of two tablespoons of fixative to about four cups of dried material. Add the essential oils and mix with your hands.
3. Place the mixture in a paper bag and seal the top with clothespins or clips. Turn the bag over several times to distribute the fixative. Store it away from direct sunlight, and allow the mix to season for four to six weeks. Shake up the bag from time to time.
4. When the potpourri is “seasoned” place in open containers in warm places. Add a few drops of essential oils and mix with your hands from time to time as the fragrance diminishes.
METHOD #3
General Instructions: After Potpourri is made and dried, add 6 drops of your favorite essential oil to every cup of dried potpourri mix. Keep it in a closed container for a few weeks to allow scent to penetrate plant material. Stir the mixture daily.
Purple Haze - Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) (purple)
- 7-8 drops Lavender essential/fragrance oil
- 2 tablespoons dried Orris Root
- 1/2 cup pink Carnation flower heads (Dianthus caryophyllus)
- 1/2 cup (bright yellow) Lemon Marigold flower heads (Tagetes tenifolia)
- 1/4 cup (pale green) Lamb’s Ears leaves (Stachys byzantina)
American Dream - Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (blue) Delphinium blossoms (Delphinium x cultorum)
- 1 cup dried (red) Rose buds (red)
- 1/2 cup (white) Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
- 1/2 cup (blue) Statice (Limonium sinuatum)
- 4-6 drops Rose essential/fragrance oil
- 2 tablespoons dried Orris Root
Citrus Delight - Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons dried orris root
- 5 tablespoons Bearberry leaves (Arctostaphylos uva ursi)
- 6-8 drops lemon essential/fragrance oil
- 1/2 cup dried Yarrow blossoms (Achillea millefolium)
- 1/2 cup Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla)
- 1/4 cup dried Safflower flowers (Carthamus tinctorius L)
- 1/4 cup orange peels finely sliced & dried
Wild Flower Fields - Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup dried Elder Flowers (Sambucus nigra)
- 2 tablespoons dried Orris Root
- 1/4 cup Chamomile flower heads (Anthemis nobilis L. or Matricaria chamomilla)
- 1/4 cup Bearberry leaves (Arctostaphylos uva ursi)
- 1/2 cup Calendula (Marigold) flower heads (Calendula Officinalis)
- 2 drops Lavender essential/fragrance oil
Note: Orris root helps to preserve the fragrance of the herbs and flowers, it has little scent of its own so it is a good base to use in your potpourri mix. Orris is made from the dried root of the Florentine Iris. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the dried orris root per cup of dried potpourri mix.
I’m not sure if all of the materials above is available in the Philippines, but you can ask any Arts and Crafts store for alternatives.
Seminars:
TLRC Building
#103 J. Abad Santos cor. Lopez Jaena Sts.,
Little Baguio, San Juan, Metro Manila
Tel: (02) 727-6205
Web: www.tlrc.gov.ph
sources: allthatwomenwant.com, save-on-crafts.com, pioneerthinking.com, picture from kountrylights.com
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