Roses are not only stunning & striking on the bush or in a vase, but they are also quite elegant in a bowl or sachet. Rose petals from your rose garden can be used to create a nice fragrant potpourri that will add ambience to any room also makes a nice gift. You don't need very many petals to make a pleasant potpourri, and the process is quite simple. If you've ever dried flowers or herbs from your garden then you can probably imagine how easy it would be to use these dried items to enhance a side table or hang above a window to add a little nature to the indoors. Having potpourri will add fragrance and style; and you can get very creative with making potpourri.
You may be thinking that this will be a long process that requires a bunch of special materials, but you'd only be partially correct. There are a few things you'll want to obtain, and the drying process is the time consuming aspect of making your own potpourri. The actually "making" only takes a few minutes. You are simply combining several items of your choosing into an airtight container where your fresh flowers and herbs can dry.
For example, you can cut 2 or 3 roses from your garden and carefully separate the petals from the stems. You can use just one rose, but I like to use at least a couple to get a variety of color in my mixture. Sometimes, a single color is ideal but only you can decide that because you are the "artist" here. You can add other plant material also depending on the theme you are after. Do you want something delicate for your bedroom with just roses and maybe some lavender? Or do you want a large bowl full of rose petals, lavender, eucalyptus, and little pine cones for a cabin you get the idea.
The point is that you can use whatever you want. Here's a simple recipe to get you started. Try this first and then take some time to experiment with other materials to learn what works best for you.
1 2 C of rose petals
C of lavender
C of crushed statice
Rose Essential Oil (approx. 20 drops)
Fixative (this is what helps to make the fragrance last and last)
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently.
Keep in mind your dried plant material will shrink with drying so plan accordingly to how much you want to finish with.
Every artist will have a slightly different technique so develop your own and before you know it you will have the perfect gift to share with someone or the perfect enhancement for any room in your home. Have fun!!
Diane is a fellow rose enthusiast!! She first fell in love with planting and caring for roses when she was 14 years old. It was then that she planted her first rose bush with the help of her dad. Since then she has been teaching herself how to care for and grow roses. Using the roses in your garden to make potpourri is easy - you can visit Diane at Rose Care Center to learn more about the art of growing roses.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
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