How to Make Potpourri With Dried Flowers From a Valentine's Day Bouquet
It's simple to preserve your memories of that romantic Valentine's Day celebration by turning your special bouquet into potpourri. At one time, potpourri was kept in a sealed container and only opened to fragrance the air when the room was occupied. Today, potpourri provides more than scent. It is a way to add to the decor and ambience of your home. With the right techniques and ingredients, the potpourri from your Valentine's Day bouquet will last for years.
Things You'll Need
- String or screen
- Airtight container
- Essential oils
- Spices and herbs (optional)
- Fixative, like powdered Oris root
Instructions
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Dry your bouquet by tying and hanging it upside down. Or, take the bouquet apart and place it on a piece of screen in a single layer. Find a warm, dark place to store it for 2 to 3 weeks.
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Break the flowers and leaves off their stems and place them in an airtight container that allows at least 1 inch of head space. You can remove petals from flowers if you like. Leave some smaller flowers intact to add dimensional interest.
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Add 6 drops of essential oils for each cup of flowers and leaves. Add the drops gradually, stirring in a small quantity at a time. The essential oils reinforce the natural floral fragrance and add long-lasting scent.
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Spoon 2 tbsp. of fixative for each cup of flowers and leaves in your mixture.
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Spice up your mixture with ingredients like vanilla bean, dried lavender or dried citrus peels if you like.
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Cover your container of potpourri and store it in a cool, dark location. Stir your potpourri every day for the next 4 to 6 weeks to evenly disperse essential oils and fixative into the mixture.
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Place a portion of your potpourri in a small dish or container. Enjoy both its beauty and fragrance.
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Tips & Warnings
Flowers and leaves dry to 75 percent of their original size. If you want a larger quantity of potpourri, consider adding more flowers of the same variety into the drying process.
Flowers and leaves will lose fragrance quickly without adequate fixative.
According to Pioneer Thinking, powdered Oris root, from the dried root of Florentine iris, has little scent and works well to preserve the fragrance of both flowers and herbs. Other fixatives to absorb and retain essences include oak moss, cellulose and ground gum benzoin.
Essential oils and fixatives are available at craft stores, health food stores and online.
Refresh your potpourri by adding a few more drops of essential oil. You might want to take a new quantity of potpourri from your airtight container. Then put the potpourri you had on display back into the container once you have refreshed it.
If adding dyed shavings to your potpourri, wait until all essential oils and fixative has been mixed into the potpourri to avoid color bleeding.
Carefully handle all your fresh flowers and leaves to avoid bruising. Fragrance is compromised when bruising occurs.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit pot- pourri image by leafy from Fotolia.com
