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Home Page > Recipe Box > Potpourri Potpourri Blend #1
Blend #2
Blend #3
Blend #4
Introduction: Unscented plant materials such as whole flowers, petals, leaves, pine cones, and wood chips can usually be purchased from stores and online vendors that sell an array of herbal or craft items. It's even more fun to dry your own flowers, petals, leaves and pine cones to make your own very special potpourri. Drying Your Own Flowers and Other Materials: The best way that I have found to dry your own flowers and plant material is to use a dehydrator. This not only speeds up the drying process, but the natural fragrance of the flowers and plant material is often retained. It also helps preserve the shape of the flowers and drastically reduces the likelihood of mold/rot occurring with your items as you dry them. The best type of dehydrator for making potpourri is one that has a fan and a temperature control. But any cheap dehydrator should work (I've seen cheap introductory ones for $20 US in some stores). An easy way to find fresh flowers and other items suitable for drying is to check your own flower garden or back yard. Ask your local florist if they'll save flowers with broken stems and other items that they can't sell but will sell to you inexpensively. Roses with missing petals are great for potpourri because you can pluck all the remaining petals, dry them and turn them into potpourri. To dry potpourri in a dehydrator, trim and clean (as appropriate for the items you are drying) your flowers, petals, etc. and place them in the dehydrator. Don't let the items touch each other. The type of material that you are drying, the air humidity and your brand of dehydrator will all contribute to the length of time it will take to dry your potpourri materials. Dry the material until it is thoroughly dry, otherwise mold can occur. Flowers and petals should feel crisp. It is best to allow your items to cool before determining whether they are done. Be sure to follow all safety and usage instructions for the model of dehydrator that you use. Making the Potpourri Essential Oil Blend: Choose one of the above blends and add your oils to a dark colored glass bottle and mix well by rolling the bottle in between your hands. By making a small quantity of your chosen blend, you can later "refresh" your potpourri later by adding more drops of your blend. You of course can also experiment with your own blends of oils or browse through AromaWeb's Recipe Box to explore other blends. It is suggested that your blends include essential oils or absolutes that are considered "fixatives." Fixatives are oils or materials that increase the "staying power" of the aroma. Oils that have fixative properties include Benzoin, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Myrrh, Oakmoss Absolute, Patchouli, Peru Balsam, Sandalwood and Vetiver. Scenting Your Potpourri: Mix your desired assortment of flowers, petals, leaves, wood chips, etc. Choose a bowl that you would like to display your potpourri in and place your potpourri into this bowl. Choosing glass or glazed ceramic bowls work best as the essential oils can absorb into porous surfaces. Using a pipette, dropper or the orifice reducer that may be built into your blending bottle, sprinkle 5-8 drops of your blend onto your potpourri. Based on the strength of the chosen blend and the amount of your potpourri materials, you may need to adjust the number of drops that you use. When the aroma weakens, add more drops of the blend to refreshen the aroma.
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