Homemade Potpourri Recipes

See our potpourri recipes if you ever wanted to know how to make potpourri. Potpourri is a mixture of dried flowers, herbs, spices and aromatic oils. Make your own potpourri from your cottage gardens and use these to freshen your homes, your underwear drawers, your linen drawers, or just give them away as homemade gifts.

There are two methods of making potpourri, one is the wet method of making potpourri where semi-dried flowers and petals are layered with salt to cure and ferment them. Then there is the dry method of making potpourri where the ingredients are dried either in a slow oven or in a cool, dark place.

Today, people prefer using the dry method as you end up with a prettier looking result.

Flowers used in Potpourri Recipes

Common types of flowers used in making potpourri are roses, scented geraniums, carnations, lavender, orange blossom, violets, honeysuckle, jonquil, chamomile, and jasmine to name a few.

Herbs used in Potpourri Recipes

Common herbs used are lemon verbena, basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram and mint.

Tips for your Potpourri Recipes

Of course when you have finished making your potpourri aesthetics is very important. Will your end result look pretty? Often when you dry your flowers they lose their original bright colors and can end up looking rather dull.

Therefore it is important to mix some colorful petals that don't lose their color. Calendula flowers are perfect for this, as are borage flowers, nasturtiums, pansies, jasmine and delphiniums.

Other additions to your potpourri mix will be dried citrus peel, lemon and orange are commonly used, sandalwood or cedar wood, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are added to give your mixture added depth.

You will need a fixative for your potpourri to make sure that any perfumes that exist will stabilize and remain for longer. Orris root powder is the most widely fixative used, and this can be found at either your local drug store or health shops. It is made from the dried root of Iris Florentina, so if you have this growing in your garden - make your own!

Last, but not least, you will need the essential oils that will give your potpourri its lasting scent. They are quite expensive as they take 5 years in the making, however, you only ever use a few drops and therefore last a long time. My favorite essential oils are lavender oil, rose oil and jasmine oil.

Drying your Flowers

Dry your flowers and herbs in bunches hanging upside down in a dark, cool place that has access to a breeze. When drying rose petals remove from the plant, and dry individually on a porous surface, such as mosquito netting or the like in a single layer out of the sun.

Rose and Carnation Potpourri Recipe

2 cups pink rose petals

2 cups pink carnation petals

1/2 cup orris root powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 whole cinnamon stick

12 cloves

5 drops essential oil of roses

Dry rose and carnation petals separately. When crisp combine them and sprinkle with orris root powder, except for 1 tablespoon which you have reserved in a small bowl.

Sprinkle rose oil into the reserved orris root powder and mix well.

Pour into petals mixture. Add other ingredients, breaking cinnamon sticks into fragments and mix well with your hands. Keep in sealed jars for 1 month before using.

Lavender Potpourri

300g lavender flowers, dried

25g dried thyme

25g dried mint

25g dried basil leaves

10g ground cloves

10g ground caraway seeds

50g orris root powder

3 drops lavender oil

This is probably my favorite potpourri recipe. I love the smell of lavender and it lasts for ages.

Combine dried flowers and leaves in a large bowl. Add spices.

Drop oil into orris root powder, mix.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Store in sealed container or jar for at least a month before using.

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