Making Your Own Potpourri Is Easier Than You Think

The aromatic mixture of potpourri can spruce up your home and add a delightful scent to any room. A combination of dried flower petals, oils, and spices used to freshen up a space, this aesthetic practice has been around since as far back as the 18th century, according to Merriam-Webster. Potpourri can be displayed as its own figure piece with the dried petals placed in bowls throughout your house or distributed more discreetly by securing the flowers in fabric bags that are hidden in drawers, cabinets, and desks around your home, according to The Herb Lady. Since the smell of potpourri can last for months and the elegant look of the dried petals even longer, it is a simple way to make the most of a floral arrangement.

While potpourri is available to purchase at a plethora of in-person and digital stores, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Michaels, Wal-Mart, and Amazon, making your own potpourri can be as relaxing of an experience as breathing in those beautiful scents. Potpourri is one of the best ways to preserve flowers at home, so you can use flowers you already have, that are growing in your garden, or that catch your eye at the store. Whether you have fresh flowers from your own garden to preserve as the winter nears or want to liven up your home with some aromatic cocktails, you can make potpourri all on your own.

Your first step for making at-home potpourri is to decide which flowers you want dried and displayed in your house. If you are a flower gardener with limited options, you will be happy to know that some of the most popular garden flowers make great ingredients for potpourri. According to Gardening Channel, some of the most popular flowers to grow at home include potpourri staples like roses, hydrangeas, pansies, and marigolds. Some other great options for your potpourri include floral staples like chrysanthemums, lavender, geraniums, and chamomile, according to FNP.

Once you have determined which flowers will make up your potpourri, you can decide which of your favorite scents you want to feature in your concoction. The dried flowers are likely not going to be fragrant enough to provide the potpourri smell you are looking for. However, essential oils, spices, and all-natural and synthetic fixatives can supplement the aroma of potpourri and make the smell of your mixture last much longer.

You can choose from a long list of fixatives for your potpourri. A traditional favorite is orris root, according to WikiHow. Other fixatives include cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, vanilla, and sandalwood bark. Essential oils can be used to brighten the scent of a potpourri mixture, too. And if you want to make your display even more unique, dry out orange peels and apple slices for some extra citrus aroma.

First, remove the petals from your selected fresh flowers. Then, set out all your petals in a space where they will be able to dry out for two to three days. This is when you can work on drying out any natural fixatives you would like to add to your mixture, like orange peels, rosemary, or rose buds. You will mix at least one cup of your selected type of flowers with smaller amounts of each fixture, ranging from a ½ cup to a ⅛ teaspoon, depending on how strong you want the scents, according to The Spruce Crafts. 

From there, pour your mixture into a Mason jar and cover it with Saran wrap. Let it sit in a dark, cool space for four to six weeks. Once your potpourri has had plenty of time to steep, it is ready to be displayed in a bowl or placed in small sachets and dispersed across your home.