Potpourri – a gentle country craft
A bowl of potpourri will add scent and elegance to a room, giving a restful, country feel. Whether you buy it or make your own, there are different combinations of flower petals and herbs which will give a different mood, depending on the ingredients used.
The word comes from the French ‘pot-pourri’. It is the French name for a Spanish stew with a wide variety of ingredients and called ‘olla podrida’. Literally, though, ‘pot’ means the same in French and in English, while ‘pourri’ means rotten, which is a less than tempting name for something that is fragrant and visually appealing. Potpourri is also a term that some people use to describe any collection of diverse items.
In the 17th century fresh herbs and flowers were picked during the spring and early summer. They were left for a day or two to become limp before coarse sea salt was added in layers. The mixture was stirred from time to time and layers were added.
Spices were added, giving the mixture a pleasant fragrance. Lastly, scent preserving fixatives were added and the finished potpourri was put into specially designed pots with perforated lids. Some of these were very decorative to add elegance as well as perfume to a room.
An entire part of the ceramic manufacturing industry grew up, making bowls and vases specially designed to hold potpourri, with their pierced, closely fitted lids to let the scent through.
Top plants for making potpourri
The list of scented petals perfect for making potpourri is a long one, including roses, lavender, orange blossom, jasmine, clove pinks, sweet geraniums, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, stocks, lemon verbena and violets. Herbs used can include bergamot, bay leaves and rosemary. Orange or lemon peel is often used as well.
Try making potpourri yourself, getting back to the gentle, traditional country craft that will fill your rooms with fragrance. You will need flower petals and/ or herbs, ground and whole spices, fixative such as orris root (dried from iris plants, available at health food stores and online suppliers), and essential oils (available from larger pharmacies, health food stores and online suppliers).
The name potpourri comes from the French name for Spanish stew
Gather flower petals, measuring about 1.2 litres or 2 pints, and lay them out to dry on newspaper or
muslin in a warm place such as an airing cupboard until they are brittle. This will take between a week and 10 days.
Then put the dried petals into a bowl between layers of fixative, the dried orris root. Add the spices: first a teaspoon of ground spice such as nutmeg, mace, cloves and cinnamon. Then add a tablespoon of whole spices, choosing between cloves, cinnamon, mace, cumin and allspice.
Finally drop in some essential oils, about 10 – 12 drops. Choose from lavender, rosemary, geranium, lemon or others that you may like. The mixtures of potpourri you make will depend on the plants and fragrances that you like and this is where you can choose exactly what mixture appeals to you, making your potpourri very individual.
You may find that you need to try out different mixtures to get the result you want. When you have finished making it, put the mixture into a bowl, and turn it by hand once or twice a week. It should last up to two years, but you may want to make some each summer, trying out different plants.
Potpourri in small muslin bags tied with ribbon also make pretty and very personal gifts for family and friends. But if you can’t make your own, there is a wide choice of different potpourri mixtures on the market and found in many gift shops everywhere.
A huge range of hardy, healthy, fragrant roses, all grown by us
For your free colour catalogue, contact: The Cornish Rose Company,Mitchell Lane, Mitchell, Newquay TR8 5AX 01872 519146
sales@thecornishrosecompany.co.uk www.garden-roses.co.uk
Country Gardener 51
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