How to Make a Quick Potpourri

Potpourri jars and bowls are fragrant room fresheners. Potpourri is a mixture of flower petals and spices. The potpourri is often kept in an apothecary or decorative jar with a lid. Many people fondly remember their grandmother's rose jar and its sweet smell of roses and spices. If you have a flower garden or bouquet of roses and a spice cabinet, you can make a quick potpourri to scent your home or give to a friend. Read on to learn how to make a quick potpourri.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Decorative jar
• Roses
• Carnations
• Herbs or spices
• Paper towels
• Paper plates or microwave dishes
• Microwave oven

1. 
    
   Pull petals from flower

   Wash the roses or carnations. Blot them dry on a paper towel. Gently grasp the flower petals with one hand and hold the flower stem firmly as you pull out the petals. Scatter them on a paper towel and blot any extra moisture.

2. 
    
   Dried petals

   Spread the flower petals on a paper towel or microwave safe dish. Put them in the microwave. Microwave for one minute. Test the petals. Microwave additional minutes as needed until the petals are dry. They will shrink to a much smaller size than the original petals.

3. Drop the dry petals directly in the jar. If you have different colors of roses or carnations, you can mix them together or layer each color separately. Carnations and roses blend together well.

4. 
    
   Lavender

   Sprinkle dry herbs or spices between the petal layers. Select herbs that are agreeable to your taste. Popular potpourri herbs include rosemary, lavender, sage, and thyme. For a more aromatic jar, add broken bits of cinnamon or crushed whole cloves. Take a few rose petals and crush them together with the herbs to find the right combination.

5. Carefully add layers of flower petals and sprinklings of dried herbs or spices until the jar is full. For gifting, add a beautiful ribbon around the jar and you are finished. This ancient flower craft fills any room with a heartwarming fragrance.

Tips & Warnings

• Many fragrant flowers like violet or hyacinth blend well in potpourris.
• If the potpourri becomes moldy, discard it. Many people are allergic to molds and spores.