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The making of potpourri can be traced all the way back to mediaeval times . It has historically been used to mask consistency odors , as air fresheners in homes with no plumbing ( utter ) , to guard off malevolent spirits , for health intention and much more . We ’re just going to cleave with the fun part of make up potpourri with flowers we grew in our own blossom garden .
Homemade potpourri is so much better than mass - produced , store - bought potpourri . When you make it yourself , you control what goes into it and there are no unreal dies or loud fragrance oil .
The possibility of the dry herbs , flowers , come and pod you include in your mix are endless . Yes , you’re able to merely choose fragrant flowers and herbaceous plant , but the drying operation incline to weaken the perfume of your flowers . Leaving dry flower expose to air will also break their fragrance . I tend to take plant life for their people of color and then total my preferred crucial oil to the mixture of dried plant fabric .
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Potpourri Ingredients
Although many of these introductory component can be purchased at a craft fund like Hobby Lobby or Michael ’s , for appliance I am include Amazon links to the supply as well .
Dried flowers and flower petalsDried herbs such as lavender , lemon balm , maize vervain , rosemary and many more . Eucalyptus leavesDried rose hips orrose budsSeed head and Seed podsDried yield slicesSmall pine conesOrris Root Powder – unless you are start to make lots of potpourri , you only need a small amountEssential Oils – These are my favorite complete , therapeutic class essential oils . Silica Gel Flower Drying crystal – unless you are going to make lots of potpourri , 2 pounds is belike sufficient . Gloves and a MaskFlat bottom microwave good stunner or baking sheetParchment report
What Flowers Work Best for Drying to Make Potpourri
Flowers that did not dry well include snapdragons , alyssum , genus Vinca petunias , and verbena . I also tried a few marigold , but the smell was fearful , so I toss away them .
bloom that solve well for drying were mums , little dahlias , gomphrena , genus Celosia , rose flower petal and rose buds , salvia , silver mound , etc . These blossom held their color and shape the ripe .
Do n’t let my experience deter you from trying a flower though . Experiment and incur what works well for you .
How to Dry Herbs and Flowers for Making Potpourri
First , you ’ll take some saucy herb and flowers . Although I favor selecting blooms decent from my garden , using purchased bouquets works too . If you ’re making potpourri during winter , storage - buy fragrancy with a miscellany of heyday are perfect .
Pro Tip : It takes mess and lots of blossom and flower petal to make miscellany . When efflorescence dry , they shrink , so pick way more prime than you think you will demand .
Just apply the efflorescence head ( or florets ) and clip off the stem and leaves . I found that for making smorgasbord , just the flowers cultivate best . I tried using the leaves , but they fuck off too juiceless and crumbly .
It ’s of import to take necessary rubber precautions like a mask ( so you do n’t breath in the junk from the silica powder ) and latex or rubber glove to protect your skin .
There are several way to dry out herb and flowers , but we will touch on a few of the most popular way .
Drying Flowers with Silica Gel in the Microwave
This is hands down the easiest and fast method acting to dry flowers ! It ’s my method of choice and the method acting we will focus on . I also found that the heyday retained their vibrant colors beautifully .
It really helps to sort your flowers by sizing and dryness component . For example : I sorted out the flowers that already be given to be ironic , like strawflowers , hydrangea peak , gomphrena and statice . These do n’t ask as much fourth dimension in the microwave .
Next , class the residual of your flowers by sizing . I found it easy to micro-cook my efflorescence in diminished mass .
Start by pouring about 1 – 1.5 inches of silica gel into a microwave good container and then layer your flowers face up . Use a baking lulu with a matt bottom .
bestow more silica gel crystals on top of the bloom , but do n’t completely address them .
Place the dish in the microwave , along with a cup of water . Microwave for 1 - 3 minute on Power Level 5 ( medium ) , check the flowers for waterlessness every 45 – 60 second . The cup of H2O is to help prevent your prime from sear .
cautiously withdraw the cup of tea from the microwave oven using potholders and allow the flowers to cool completely in the silica powder .
I used a plastic branching to move the flowers from the silicon oxide to a sheet of parchment paper . Even though the silica gel come with a brush , I found it well-nigh unimaginable to sweep all the extra pulverisation from the dried flowers . It worked much better to dump the flowers in a mesh strainer and shake up it softly to remove most of the silicon oxide .
Next , tally your dried and cooled flowers to a glass bowl . If some of the blossom are large , go onwards and break them apart .
you may carry on to use the same silica gel gunpowder to dry several batches of flowers . Once you are comfortable using the microwave to dry your flowers , you may try out with the options and exsert the meter intervals .
How to Air Dry Flowers
Air drying is the most traditional and straightforward method of drying your ingredients . It involves hang your herbs and flowers upside down in a warm , dry , and well - ventilated area . Here are the steps to follow :
Gather your herb and flowers in modest bunches and tie them with a string or rubber dance band .
pay heed the Bunche upside down in a warm , dry , and well - air out area , away from direct sunlight .
get out the herbaceous plant and prime to dry for 1 - 2 weeks , reckon on the humidity level in your room .
Check the herbs and prime on a regular basis to make certain they are dry out and not developing mold or mildew .
Once the herb and flowers are completely dry , absent the leaves and flower petal from the stems and lay in them in an airtight container until you are quick to use them .
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Oven Drying Herbs and Flowers for Making Potpourri
Oven drying is faster than air drying , but it demand more care to prevent electrocution . If you have the forbearance and the prison term and need a super garish method for drying flowers , oven drying may be for you . Here are the steps to pursue :
Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature setting .
Spread your herbs and flowers on a cookie sheet line with parchment paper , making sure they are not touching .
Place the baking sheet in the oven and entrust the door slightly open to allow for air circulation . If you have an oven with an air pullet or convection setting , you might want to play around with those setting .
suss out the herbs and flower regularly and remove any that are fully dry . This can take several hours .
Once all the herbs and flowers are dry , murder them from the oven and let them cool completely .
Store the dry leaf and petals in an airtight container until ready to apply .
If you have the meter and patience , it ’s fun to experiment with dissimilar drying method to discover the one that works best for you and your particular element . Also if you are using filler point like twigs , pine cones , cinnamon sticks , etc . , those items are already dry and will not need to be dry out further .
The printable instructions for making potpourri using the microwave method , along with some cute printable tags and jarful lid covers are usable in the Gardening Resources Library . Get detached access by completing the subscription form below .
How to Make Potpourri
Once you ’ve gone through the work of dry your flowers , the rest is quick and well-fixed .
Take your completely cooled and dried flower heading and station them in a great bowl that has a chapeau .
Next , add up a few drops of an essential oil of your choice . The amount you add greatly depends on the strength of the particular substantive oil you are using and the amount of dry out blossom you are using . Start on the unaccented side because you may always add more essential oils .
Important Step : Orris rootage pulverization is a fixative that binds the of the essence vegetable oil to your dry out flowers and helps the fragrance to last . Do n’t skip this step . If you are making a small batch of variety , say like 4 - 5 loving cup , total around 2 - 3 teaspoons of orris antecedent pulverisation to the sports stadium with your dried bloom and essential crude oil . Put the chapeau on the mix and shake it well .
That ’s it , you just made potpourri with flowers from your garden ! Check outthis postfor some simple program line for making fresh Christmas potpourri and more fun DIY natural Christmas decorations .
Here are more DIY posts you will enjoy : DIY Gifts From Your GardenChristmas DIY Projects Using Tree BranchesHow to Make Soy Candles ( an easy DIY )
A few final steps and ideas for your homemade potpourri:
It ’s a good musical theme to put in the assortment commixture in an airtight container . I recommend using glass because the redolence wo n’t seep into the container like it will if it ’s plastic . take into account the variety to sit in the sealer container in a dour place for a few daylight before using it .
If you are make the variety for gift - gift , tot up some to a methamphetamine jar and connect a ribbon around the jar .
summate motley tosachet bagsis a great mode to make several small gifts at once . They can be used in closets , car or any small space .
Thesefrog lidswork really well on mason jars and make an opening for the fragrance to escape .
When the aroma begin to dissipate , tot a few drops of essential oil at a sentence until you get it to the scent level you like .
Happy gardening , Julie
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