Capture Garden Scents: Millefleur Potpourri (Dry)

Bring the delightful aromas of nature’s sweet scents indoors.

August/September 2001
By Rand B. Lee 
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Makes about 1 cup

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As they come into season, collect any colorful or scented blossoms, leaves, barks or roots you can get your hands on and dry them in the shade. Try to amass as many different colors as you can. Then store them in a cool dark place until you’ve collected enough variety. When you are ready to assemble the potpourri for curing, in a separate bowl mix together the following for every 1 cup of botanicals. Note: The orris powder must be strongly perfumed, since it must provide much of the scent of the potpourri.

  • 2 tablespoons orris root powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon powdered allspice
  • 4 drops rose oil
  • 4 drops jasmine oil
  • 1 drop ylang ylang oil
  • 1 drop coriander seed oil
  • 1 drop lavender oil
  • 1 drop rosewood oil
  1. In a separate bowl, drip oils over powdered orris root. Mix well with a wooden spoon, so that the oils are thoroughly incorporated into the orris (separate any clumps that appear).
  2. Place the orris in a cloth bag and put the bag at the bottom of the large container in which you plan to cure the potpourri. Cover the orris bag with the dried flowers and leaves, close the container lid tightly, and cure, shaking or stirring daily.
  3. When it smells the way you like it, decant the potpourri into its presentation container or containers (taking care to put a bag or the scented orris at the bottom of each container you are filling).

Rand B. Lee is author of Pleasures of the Cottage Garden (Freidman/Fairfax, 1998) and President of the North American Cottage Garden Society and the North American Dianthus Society. He lives in Santa Fe with his blind husky-mix, Moon Pie. 

Click here for the original article, Capture Garden Scents.

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