How to Make Perfume From Garden Flowers

Roses. Hyacinths. Gardenias. The fragrance from these flowers permeates your garden during the spring and summer. You can capture these aromas and keep them all year long by making your own perfume using the flowers from your garden. Homemade perfume also makes a unique and thoughtful gift.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh flowers
• Vegetable shortening
• Vodka
• Glass plate
• Glass jar with lid
• Perfume bottle

Instructions

1. Choose flowers for the homemade perfume that have a strong aroma. In early spring, these would include hyacinths, jonquils, carnations or lilacs. Roses, honeysuckles and gardenias are available during the summer months. Choose flowers that are in full bloom for several days.

2. Pick fresh flowers that are newly bloomed in the morning and put them in a container of water. Put vegetable shortening in a thin layer on a glass plate. Pick the petals from the flowers, cover the shortening with them and set the plate in closet or wardrobe---somewhere where it is cool and dark---and leave it for 24 hours. Remove the old petals and store them in a lidded glass container. Lay fresh petals on the shortening and store for another 24 hours. Replace the petals one more time for an additional 24 hours.

3. Place the last petals inside the lidded glass container. Put the perfumed shortening into a measuring cup, note how much shortening there is and then put the shortening into a pan. Measure the same amount of vodka as shortening and add it to the pan. Heat the pan over a medium temperature, stirring until the shortening is melted and is mixed completely with the vodka.

4. Prepare the bottle for the perfume by washing it in hot soapy water and rinsing it thoroughly. Allow it to air dry completely.

5. Pour the liquid perfumed mixture over the petals that are in the glass container. Tighten the lid and return the jar to the cool, dark place. Leave it there for 14 days. At the end of that time, pour the liquid into the cleaned perfume bottle and discard the petals.

Tips & Warnings

• Use only glass or metal containers and utensils when making homemade perfume; plastic or wooden ones will absorb the fragrance.