Mother Nature makes potpourri in my garden most years. Just as the first Spring flush of blooms is fading and the petals are falling (we have so many very tall climbers that it can look like snowfall some days), we get a hot spell and the petals dry on the way down, or on the ground. The warm dry breezes blow them around, and I come out to see the patio and driveway literally covered in drifts of potpourri. It wafts around for weeks, as we don't get any rain or humidity in the Summer months. After that, I don't feel any need to try to make my own!

Jackie

Strawberryhill, if you're talking about potpourri to be used indoors instead of the naturally occurring "petal dandruff", the commercially prepared stuff is almost always artificially scented. When you make it yourself, you may or may not add scents from bottles to intensify the fragrance. I played with making it very early on just to see what was involved and what the results would be. You may make moist or dry product, but both need to be kept tightly covered to maintain the fragrance or it will eventually dissipate. Commercially prepared has scent added or no one would buy it. I don't use any of it, but I also avoid the soap and fragrance aisles in stores (Bed, Bath and Beyond completely!) as I've developed extreme allergies to almost all of the fragrances used.

It can be fun to play with, but don't expect a container left open all the time to scent your room for very long without being refreshed, either with new material or bottled scents. Of course, if your home is cooler and damper, it will last longer, just as the scent in the flower will. Hotter and drier will evaporate them faster, just as it does the flowers' scents.

We made potpourri for our Herb Day Sale for many years. To some extent it depends on the maker. Some have a better "nose" than others. My friend made it beautifully. I made it passably. It never smells the same as the fresh flower but it can still be quite good. What do you have to lose? It will at the very least be educational.

The dried arrangement would not be that sweetly fragrant. A fixative, usually orris root from the root of Iris florentina, is needed to preserve the scent. As an aside, I have also prepared the orris root but as it dried it gave me headaches which I almost never have. So it finished drying in the garage. Once it was dry there was no problem.

Cath

Thank you, Jackie, Kim, and Cath for your inputs. It's interesting that we have negative experiences to some scents. My neighbor said Daffodils give her headaches. I bought Frankincense oil from a health food store, since it smells like my Mary Magdalene rose, which I miss.

However, this "Frankenstein" oil made me nauseated, and gave me stomach cramps. When I researched on Frankincense, the side effects are: "vomiting, nausea, and not for pregnant women". The scent from Mary Magdalene rose did not have such ill-effects, it was great - ditto with other roses.

When I first planted my own-root Austins from the potted bands, I could smell their fragrant leaves. The nursery told me they fertilized with low-salt Daniels liquid fertilizer. I'll plant fragrant roses in an acidic pot next year to see if they smell better than my high-magnesium alkaline clay.

I'm not surprised at your reaction to the scent. A good friend is highly allergic to lilies, including onions and garlic. The scent of Star Gazers trigger his Menier's Disease, resulting in intense, extreme vertigo. Colognes and other scents which are lily based do similarly. It makes flying, which he does to the tune of about a hundred thousand miles a year, quite an "adventure". You'd be surprised how many products contain lily scents. Eating them causes swift, often rather "violent" gastric effects. My reactions are limited to more physical and bronchial effects.

I'll be interested to learn what, if any, effects using a more acidic soil has on the scent of your rose foliage. I've long been aware of the scents of rose foliage. Of course, the newer and softer the growth, the greater the fragrance. Combine that with milder, warmer, damper weather and it gets really intense some times. Kim

I've been making potpourri for decades. I collect and dry red or pink fragrant rose petals, from my no-spray garden and make a potpourri from them, with some herbs including lemon verbena which I love. Sometimes I add a few whole cloves. I place a few attractive rose leaves from an Alba on top of the potpourri. The addition of a few rose leaves on top, or fragrant Myrtle, lessen the chance that the potpourri from the thin textured rose petals will mildew when after a few days the potpourri scent lessens and I spray it with an organic rose spray made from Damask roses.
I used to go to the trouble of using what is called orris root fixitive which is powdered dried rhizonme of Iris, but found it did not work well enough to bother with, it is what they used hundreds of years ago to extend the scent of potpourri.
You can also soak a few whole cloves in a couple teaspoons of true oil of roses and add it to the top layer of the potpourri. The rose scent evaporates more slowly, used this way, if you like the scent of rose and clove, which I do, it reminds me of the scent of 'Secret Garden Noisette'.
I also use the damask rose spray, as a room spray and perfume.

Whole Foods sells the rose spray, as do many Indian grocery stores. I read the label and don't buy it if it lists any additives or ingredients other than rose petals, water and alcohol.

Good Luck, I love natural potpourri, yet can't stand the yucky stink of commercial blends.

Luxrosa
one of my recipes for potpourri,
all items are organically grown.
1 cup of dried fragrant red or pink rose petals. I like to use petals from red or pink Damask Perpetuals, or Apothecary Rose'
2-3 thin strips, c. 1/4 inch wide, and 2 inches long, of dried mandarin orange peel or Meyer Lemon peel or lime depending on what you like.
herbs that you like best, dried lavender or lemon verbena are two of my favorites.
Optional, but I love these;
7 whole cloves, that have been soaked in true oil of roses, for 3 days, these are reserved to be scattered on top with the leaves.
1/2 cup of fresh Myrtle leaves or attractive rose leaves such as those of Alba roses, or fragrant leaves from R.primula which does smell like incense to my nose. These are put on top of the potpourri if you intend to spray the mix with damask rose spray after the first week. If you use the cloves soaked in rose oil, this won't be needed for several weeks.
a couple small red rose hips on the top layer are pretty additions.
Lux.

In my experience, making the stuff is a time-consuming, exacting process. I'm inclined to say that the answer to your question is NO, it's not worth it -- unless you're determined to make a fine potpourri with depth of (natural) fragrance, and one having a fragrance that will last long enough to make all the effort worthwile.

First, all the ingredients of a dry potpourri must be ABSOLUTELY dry. The least bit of moisture retained in any element of the mix can cause the whole thing to mildew -- and mildew quickly (voice of experience). In addition to the roses (and/or other flowers), most recipes call for "blenders", which are usually aromatic herbs (lavender, rosemary, mint, etc) or spices. Sometimes wood shavings (cedar, sandalwood) are also used.

Flowers that retain lots of color even when dried (statice is one) add visual interest to the mix, but no fragrance. I read once that the only flowers other than roses that maintain their fragrance after drying are citrus blossoms, tuberoses and lavender. We've tried drying stephanotis, daphne and gardenia only to find that none of those intense fragrances remained.

As mentioned above, a fixative is an essential ingredient. Orris root is probably the most commonly used fixative, but there are other plant-based ones (frankincense and myrrh, for instance). The very finest, though, are of animal origin -- ambergris (whale puke), civet musk (a substance disgorged from the aft end of a male civet cat to mark his territory), and glandular musks from a few other animals. The animal-based fixatives are available as tinctures -- NOT inexpensive, but a very little bit goes a very long way. If any of that info is off-putting, remember that the translation of potpourri is, afterall, "rotten pot".

Roseseek mentioned moist potpourri. I've encountered that incredible stuff only once -- years ago in a vendor's booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show. I considered trying to make some, but was thoroughly intimidated by the recipes. Gertrude Jekyll once said that the moist kind was the only potpourri she cared to have. I can understand why.

Agreed. It was time consuming and far more exacting than any food recipe I've ever attempted. It did smell good but it took more effort than I cared to sacrifice for it. Kim

I had such a good laugh when I read jaxondel's recipe of "animal origin -- ambergris (whale puke), civet musk (a substance disgorged from the aft end of a male civet cat to mark his territory), and glandular musks from a few other animals. The animal-based fixatives are available as tinctures ...potpourri is .. rotten pot."

It's more complicated than I thought, Orris root is fancy enough. Luxrosa's recipe is more realistic - much appreciated. I'll shop for the damask rose spray at Whole Foods and spray it on my silk flower arrangement. It's good enough for now. I wonder about the mildew problem in potpourri: would mixing it with baking soda help to raise the pH, so fungi can't grow? Thank you, Lux, for the info. about the leaves of R. Primula that smell like incense.

There are two kinds of potpourri. True potpourri is the moist method. A fixative is used and the scent is retained but it is best enclosed when not in use so that when opened the scent is more intense. The disadvantage is that the petals turn tan. The dry method retains its color but not its scent even with fixative. Scented oils must continually be reapplied. You might just as well use wood shavings for the base and many vendors do - dyed shavings. Many plant materials in addition to roses can be used as the base. In addition to those mentioned by others as holding their scent; spices, orange peel and a few flowers, there are Lilac lacinata, Jasminum sambac (also added to tea to make jasmine tea), many scented geraniums (rose, mint, lemon, pine scented ad infinium), hemlock cones, ambrosia (Chenopodium botrys), juniper berries. It is fun. Not hard at all and worth a fling.

Almost forgot. Recipes are contained in many herb books, rose books, Gertrude Jekyll's book on roses, and in Potpourri, Incense and Other Fragrant Concoctions by Ann Tucker Fettner ISBN 0-911104-97-6. If your local library does not have books with recipes, ask for this on inter-library loan.

Cath

Thank you, Cath, and I do appreciate Jaxondel's taking the time to explain the true potpourri. That was interesting and educational. I was laughing at my naive assumption that it's simple dried stuff, and my own intimidation of the real stuff. My hubby joked, "why don't you use the skunk glands here for moist potpourri?"

It's interesting that there's very little scent in the fresh eucalyptus, but the dried branches give off great scent for years. Would fragrant leaves like R. Primula that Lux mentioned retain their scent after being dried like eucalyptus?

Some leaves like the scented geraniums and lemon verbena do. I do not know about primula leaves.

Correction: the lilac is Syringa lacinata. I should know better than to contribute in the wee hours.

Also to clarify: In the moist method, only the roses go in for the "rotting" process. If you are adding other ingredients, they are added after the roses are ready.

Cath

I have r.primula and sweet briars but they are only scented after rain, on a warmish day with quite specific atmospheric requirements - in other words, very rarely. Ephemeral and elusive - i have chased around the garden sniffing after odd fugitive scents which are here then gone in moments.

Hi campanula: Wise portia here is also a fugitive scent, it runs away when the weather is hot. I appreciate Lux, Cath, and Jaxondel taking the time to give info. on potpourri. I'll give it a try, it's fun to experiment. Unfortunately I killed all my lemon verbena since it's invasive.

Strawberryhill, lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is a frost tender shrub that I did not think would survive in your brutal midwest winters. Perhaps you are thinking of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a member of the mint family? I always have to stop and think which one is which. They are easy for me to mix up myself.

Rosefolly

Thank you, Rosefolly, much appreciated. You are right it's the invasive lemon balm, ugly white flower. Verbena annuals are what my neighbor gave me every year. Verbena come in many bright colors, red, purple, pink, etc. - very tender to frost.

I found info. on how to dry rose petals from a previous forum:

Posted by davidmark z5 IL (My Page) on Thu, May 12, 05

Hello Sunrisefairy! First of all, it is spelled potpourri. What kind of roses do you grow? They have to be very fragrant while fresh to be able to have fragrance when they are dry. The best roses for fragrance when dried are the antique roses like damasks, centifolias, gallicas, albas, bourbons, mosses and portlands. (Visit GardenWeb's Antique Rose Forum to learn more about these roses.) The gallicas are very fragrant when dried, especially Rosa gallica officinalis (Apothecary's Rose) which actually is more fragrant dried than fresh. As far as color goes, all rose petals will lose and change their color when dried. They turn a more subtle hue, from black-red to flesh, from soft magenta to pink, from clove-brown to chamois. It is a lot of work to dry rose petals correctly. Ideally, you must harvest them in the morning, after they have first opened and the dew has evaporated. You then must gently pull the petals off and lay them singly on a drying screen, such as old window screens, where air can circulate all over and under them, out of direct sunlight. The amount of time it takes for the petals to become crispy-dry depends on how hot and humid your days are. But they must be crispy-dry like corn flakes or you'll risk molding. (You could dry them in a barely warm oven, but I would advise not to. It is easier and faster, but the roses will lose some of their fragrance from heating of their oils.) After completely dried, store them in tightly sealed glass jars in a dark place out of the sun or light. Properly dried and stored rose petals will retain their fragrance for a long time if not exposed to air. If you want to preserve their fragrance for years to come in a potpourri, I advise first dusting them while still moist with ground orris root, right befor placing the petals on the drying screens. Orris root is a fixative which will greatly extend the lifetime of the fragrance.

Hi Rosefolly: Since you might have alkaline clay soil like mine (my pH is 7.7) - which OGR class is best on alkaline soil? I got into High Country Roses website and was confused with the different classes of OGR. In the dried flowers forum, someone stated that the gallica roses retain their scent best when dried. I don't know if gallicas like Apothecary's rose like my alkaline clay soil. Folks in the acidic east coast like this rose, and it has leaves similar to rugosa.

If anyone know which OGR class do best in alkaline soil, please let me know. Thank you in advance.

Our soil and water here near Dayton, Ohio seem to be similar to yours. The Apothecary rose grows well here as does its sport Rosa Mundi. We have a clay soil and limestone bedrock which is pertinent because our well water comes through the rock and picks up dissolved lime making it alkaline. This affects the plants through watering. The soil itself is about pH 6.5-7. I cannot say which are the best old garden roses here but albas, gallicas and bourbons grow well here. In fact the only old garden roses, besides those that cannot take the cold winter temperatures, that do not seem to like it here are the polyanthas. Even the spinossissima 'Stanwell Perpetual' and rugosa 'Blanc Double de Coubert', said to prefer a sandy soil, make a go of it.

Cath

Hi Cath: Thank you very much for your kindness and sharing of info. I'll give OGR a try. From the lack of snow this month, if we have a drought in the coming years, the OGR would be easier to care for than those Austin water-logs.

My bedrock is limestone too, and my well water is tested at pH of 8. It's good to know that OGR will do OK here. Thank you.