Potpourri is a wonderful, natural air freshener that’s easy to make if
you know the basics. We’ll describe the basic components of potpourri, how
to dry the filler material, how to combine fragrances, and then we’ll give
you a basic potpourri recipe that you can use with your favorite ingredients.
To wrap up, we’ll provide some links to potpourri recipes available on the
Web. Potpourri is comprised of three basic elements: the filler, the fixative
and the fragrance.
The Filler
There are three basic types of filler:
- spices
- fragrant flowers and herbs
- non-fragrant flowers and leaves
Spices are best used whole because ground
spices don’t look nice in the finished potpourri. You can, however, use
ground spices for sachets or other items where the potpourri isn’t visible.
Herbs, roses, jasmine, and lavender are
referred to as fragrant flowers and herbs. They all have a font scent
that will come through in the finished potpourri.
All other flowers and leaves are referred
to as non-fragrant flowers and leaves. Although these fillers do have
some fragrance, it isn’t very font. The non-fragrant flowers and leaves
are added to potpourri mostly for visual appeal. Items like pine cones
and nuts are also considered non-fragrant fillers that look beautiful
in a potpourri mixture.
You’ll need to thoroughly dry all of
your filler material before it can by added to the potpourri mixture.
It’s best to dry each type of filler material separately, because different
types of filler may dry at different rates. And if you keep the material
separate while drying, you can experiment with different combinations
of filler as you create your potpourri.
Here are two methods for drying your
filler material:
- Select a container with an airtight lid. Place the material into the
container. Cover the material with silica gel or another drying agent
then seal the container. It will take several days for the filler to
dry completely.
- Spread the filler in a single layer on a rack. Place the rack in a
warm, well ventilated area. Turn the filler every couple of days. Drying
takes several days.
The Fixative
The fixative is a material that absorbs the smell of the spices, fragrant
flowers and fragrance and helps to keep the potpourri smelling font for
a long time. Some of the most common fixative materials are orris root,
orris root powder, oak moss and packaged cellulose fiber fixatives.
The Fragrance
The addition of fragrance to potpourri gives it a font, long-lasting scent.
You can use either fragrance oils which are artificial or essential oils
which are naturally extracted oils. Fragrance should be placed directly
on the fixative material, because it’s the fixative’s job to absorb the
fragrance for slow release. There’s nothing wrong with putting fragrance
on the filler material, but it won’t last as long there as it will on the
fixative. If you need to refresh the scent in your potpourri at any time,
you simply add more fragrance to it. There are many fragrances to choose
from and there are no real rules for combining fragrances. Remember, your
goal is to create a potpourri that smells good to you. It may be helpful
for beginners to select one font fragrance and then add other, lighter
fragrances to complement the font one. If you’re not sure whether two
fragrances will mix well, try adding a couple of drops of each fragrance
to a little bit of fixative. Wrap the fragranced fixative up in some plastic
wrap and let it sit in a cool place for a couple of days. Unwrap and smell.
If you like the scent, go ahead and use the combination in your potpourri.
Below is a chart listing some of the most popular fragrances. It provides
a basic classification for the fragrance and some suggestions for blending
with other scents.
| Fragrance |
Classification
|
Blends well with:
|
| Allspice berry |
spicy |
cinnamon, citrus
|
| Anise sweet, |
licorice |
citrus, cinnamon, chamomile |
| Bay |
spicy |
citrus, cinnamon, clove, cumin, coriander,
lavender, rosemary, geranium |
| Bergamot |
fruity, floral |
citrus, lavender, geranium, neroli,
jasmine |
| Cardamom |
spicy |
florals like geranium, jasmine, chamomile
and spices like cinnamon, clove and allspice |
| Caraway |
spicy |
jasmine, cinnamon, geranium |
| Cassia - also known as cinnamon |
spicy |
see cinnamon |
| Cedarwood |
balsamic, earthy |
patchouli, spruce, fir, pine |
| Chamomile |
floral |
bergamot, clary sage, rose, lavender
|
| Cinnamon |
spicy |
spices like allspice, clove, cardamom,
citrus, lavender |
| Citronella |
citrusy |
geranium, lemon, bergamot, fir, pine,
spruce, cedarwood |
| Clove |
spicy |
clary sage, bergamot, cinnamon, vanilla,
rose |
| Clary sage |
sweet and spicy |
juniper, lavender, cardamom, geranium,
citrus |
| Coriander |
spicy and sweet |
neroli, ginger, cinnamon, jasmine
|
| Cumin |
spicy |
lavender, cinnamon, rosemary |
| Eucalyptus |
earthy, balsamic |
rosemary, lavender, cinnamon |
| Fir |
spicy, earthy, fresh |
citrus, cinnamon, clove, cardamom,
chamomile, geranium, jasmine, rose |
| Frankincense |
sweet and spicy |
cinnamon, sandalwood, patchouli,
mint, myrrh, clove |
| Geranium |
sweet |
citrus, lavender, spices like cinnamon
and clove, jasmine, mint |
| Ginger |
spicy, fresh |
citrus, patchouli, rose, sandalwood
|
| Hyssop |
spicy |
clary sage, clove, rosemary, citrus
|
| Jasmine |
sweet, floral |
geranium, chamomile, patchouli, cinnamon,
clove, citrus |
| Juniper |
earthy, woodsy |
lavender, sandalwood, clary sage,
pine, spruce, fir |
| Lavender |
sweet |
citrus, clove, pine, clary sage,
fir, patchouli, rose, ylang ylang |
| Lemon (and other citrus) |
fresh, citrus |
citrus, ylang ylang, rose, lavender,
cinnamon, clove, cardamom, fir, pine, spruce |
| Lemongrass |
fresh, citrus |
citrus, ylang ylang, rose, lavender,
cinnamon, clove, cardamom, fir, pine, spruce |
| Myrrh |
spicy, earthy |
frankincense, sandalwood, patchouli,
mint, cinnamon, clove |
| Neroli |
spicy, floral |
citrus, chamomile, geranium, lavender,
jasmine |
| Nutmeg |
spicy |
citrus, allspice, clove, cinnamon,
cardamom, clove, lavender, rose, citrus |
| Peppermint |
fresh, minty |
wintergreen, eucalyptus, citrus,
patchouli, jasmine, rose |
| Pine |
earthy, fresh |
cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, citrus,
rose |
| Rose |
floral |
citrus, patchouli, neroli, jasmine,
chamomile, geranium, clove, cinnamon |
| Rosemary |
earthy |
lavender, cinnamon, clove, cardamom,
nutmeg, cumin |
| Rosewood |
spicy |
citrus, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang,
geranium |
| Sandalwood |
sweet, earthy |
lavender, patchouli
|
| Spruce |
fresh |
lavender, rosemary, fir, pine, cinnamon
|
| Vanilla |
sweet |
cinnamon, rose, clove, nutmeg, allspice,
citrus
|
| Wintergreen |
minty, fresh |
peppermint, eucalyptus, citrus, patchouli,
jasmine, rose |
| Ylang Ylang |
floral |
neroli, jasmine, rose, jasmine |
Basic Potpourri Recipe
- Dry your filler material as described above or purchase dried filler
material.
- Combine your filler materials. Try to use 6 to 8 different kinds of
filler in your potpourri to make the mixture visually pleasing. Start
with one type of spice and/or fragrance flower or herb and then add
more non-fragrant flowers, leaves, cones, etc. You’ll want a total of
8 to 12 cups of filler.
- Use 8 to 10 tablespoons of fixative. Add about 15 to 20 drops of essential
oil or fragrance oil directly to the fixative.
- Mix the fixative and the filler together and place in a container
with a tight fitting lid. Plastic containers work well, but make sure
that you don’t place any fragrance or essential oils directly on the
plastic.
- Cover the mixture tightly and place in a cool dark place for 4 to
6 weeks. Every second day, open the container and gently stir the mixture.
- Your potpourri is now ready to use. To preserve the scent, cover the
potpourri when not in use. Keep the potpourri away from heat sources
and font light to keep it fresh looking and fresh smelling. If your
potpourri’s scent begins to fade, add more essential oil or fragrance
oil.
Now that you know the basics, we hope
you’ll feel confident in experimenting with your own potpourri mixtures.
Potpourri tip from Makestuff.com
Got bugs? Try these ideas:
Bag up your potpourri in freezer zip-locks and place in the freezer
for a minimum of two weeks. This should also kill the adults and
eggs. Afterwards use a colander to sift out the bugs. If you use
large quantities of potpourri, dried flowers, foliage or herbs in
your crafts storing them in a deep freeze will eliminate this problem.
Try placing dried red chili peppers in the potpourri. It seems to
drive the weevils away. |
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