How to Dry Rose Petals for Potpourri

You can turn roses into potpourri.

Rose petals have a distinctive but pleasant scent and are therefore ideal for making dry potpourri. People use potpourri throughout their homes, as the pleasant odor fits many environments ranging from bathrooms to bedrooms. You can use fading petals from decorative bouquets to make potpourri, but for the best results you should use fresh petals because the scents are much stronger.

Things You'll Need

• Garden shears
• Newspaper
• Large container
• Air tight container
• Spices

Instructions

1. Go out into your garden in the early morning. Wait until dew has evaporated so that the roses are dry. Cut rose heads from the stems with garden shears. The best time of year to cut roses is in the spring because you can damage plants if you do so in the fall or winter. Darker petals tend to have stronger scents so make better potpourri. Collect the rose heads in a small bag or bucket. When the petals are dried, the absence of moisture causes each petal to shrink, so make sure you have enough roses to compensate for shrinkage.

2. Place a sheet of newspaper in an open top plastic container or box. Carefully pull the petals off each rose head and spread the petals out on the newspaper at the bottom of the container. Try to leave a small gap between each petal so that air can more easily circulate and assist the drying process. Keep the box out of sunlight but since the petals need air circulation, do not store the box in a closet or closed-off area. Leave the petals to dry for seven to 10 days.

3. Gently remove the petals from the newspaper and transfer the dried petals into a small air tight container with a lid. You can now add spices to add extra scent and fixatives that help the potpourri retain its odor. Mix the spices and fixatives of your choice in with the petals. Place a lid on the container and store the mixture for three to six weeks. Shake the container each day to enable the ingredients to thoroughly mix. You can begin to use the potpourri after three to six weeks have passed.

Tips & Warnings

• Popular additions to rose petal potpourri include lavender, citrus peel, basil, rosemary and cloves. Choose spices and herbs that compliment the roses scent and are pleasing to the nose.

References

• Texas A & M: Cutting Roses
• University of Cornell Cooperatiev Extension: Potpourri and Fragrance Gardens
• University of Minnesotta: Rose Petal Potpourri

Resources

• University of Vermont: Harvesting the Garden and Other August Tips