Published By: Satavisha

Prepare Potpourri With Dried Flowers At Home: A Beginner's Guide

When your sweet-smelling flower bouquet is not as fresh as before, instead of tossing it in the trash, offer a new life to those flowers as potpourri.

In the modern world of air fresheners, plug-in deodorizers, and scented candles, the fine craft of drying flowers to make them suitable for potpourri — to refresh your home may seem old-fashioned. But making potpourri at home is easy. The supplies required to make potpourri are inexpensive, and it is a creative and sustainable way of recycling and reusing dried flowers while limiting the use of chemicals in your home. Here’s a beginner's guide with easy directions to help you make potpourri at home.

Step One: Gather flowers of your choice

Gather flowers of your choice to make potpourri. Any flower will work, but it is best to pick the ones that naturally exude strong scents and retain their shape and color even after drying. But it would be better if you avoid using too many different-smelling flowers together, as their fragrance might clash when combined.

Step two: Air-dry your flowers and other ingredients

Next, you have to dry your freshly gathered ingredients for some days or at least a few weeks. The ingredients you are planning to dry should be supple and not brittle yet. Now your materials are ready for air-drying. Use rubber bands or strings to tie your flowers with stems in bundles. Hang the flower bundles upside down to hooks or nails in a space that lacks humidity for nearly a week — until they dry.

Step Three: Prepare the flower mix

Take a sheet tray and cover it with parchment paper. After all your flowers are dry, cut them off the stems just below the heads, and remove the leaves. Place the dried flowers on the tray, or you may also pluck individual petals and lay them on the parchment paper.

Step Four: Pick a fixative to add fragrance

To add a sweet aroma to your potpourri, you have to add a fixative like oakmoss, vanilla beans, Myrrh gum, Angelica root, rosemary, lavender, and more. You may add slices of sweet and tangy citrus fruits or place sprigs of lavender, thyme, or rosemary to the mix. You may also opt for wonderful-smelling whole spices like cloves, cinnamon sticks, or allspice.

Step Five: Add an essential oil

To boost the fragrance of your homemade potpourri, add a richly fragrant essential oil to the mix — like bayberry, honeysuckle, lavender, rose, lemon, or cinnamon. Nine to ten drops would be sufficient for a bowl full of mix.

Step Six: Dry the mix in the oven

Dry your mix in the oven for a minimum of two hours. The flowers should be brittle and not burnt. After removing the mix from the oven, sprinkle some essential oil again.

Your potpourri is ready for display. Pick any non-metal vessel and place your fragrant dried mix of flowers.