TID-BITS #1:  POTPOURRI

The Origin of Potpourri

“Potpourri” by definition is: “a mixture of dried, sweet smelling flower petals used to perfume a room; a collection of various things; a scented blend of dried petals and spices”.  Historically, potpourri in some form can be found in writings of most any culture and time period. Suffice it to say that flowers, herbs, and spices have been used since the beginning of time!

The Middle Ages were a time when personal hygiene was not a regular practice and homes were primitive. Homegrown herbs were gathered and strewn on the floors of homes so when they were stepped upon, their scent would be released into the stale air. Herbs and oils were used for bathing to help mask body odor.

The period of time during the reign of Queen Victoria in England from 1837 to 1901, is known as the “Victorian“ era. When we hear the word “Victorian”, our minds quickly drift to thoughts of romance, charm and grace. Lifestyles were greatly influenced by the Queen. Afternoon teas and social etiquette became quite important to the ladies in this era. They found elegant ways of using flowers and herbs -- fresh and dried -- in bridal bouquets, to make gifts, and to enhance their home décor. They used dried flowers and herbs all winter to keep their homes fresh and fragrant year ‘round.

Composition

Today’s market offers a variety of items carelessly labeled “potpourri”. I say “carelessly” because due to its popularity, many entrepreneurs have found it is more economical to sell bags of nothing more than colored wood chips or wood shavings, a few seedpods and flowers, a short-lived fragrance, and sell it quite profitably as “Potpourri”.

As described above, potpourri originally was made of botanicals – a variety of scented flowers, herbs, and spices available from one’s own gardens. Not only do these ingredients have a lovely appearance, but when their different scents are combined, create a pleasant, long-lasting aroma.

Fragrance and Fixatives

Potpourri of yesteryear was enjoyed for merely the scents emitted from the variety of plants gathered. Available to us today are essential oils, fragrance oils, and fixatives which complement and prolong the plants’ natural scents.

Essential Oils are carefully and laboriously extracted from the flower or herb through distillation processes and are highly concentrated. A large volume of plants is needed to extract small amounts of the oils. This is why true essential oils can be quite costly.

Fragrance oils are synthetic oils.  Though some fragrance oils consist of a blend of essential oils mixed with carrier oils, which dilutes the intensity of the essential oil yet maintains its natural-quality scent.  These oils are widely marketed as an acceptable method of fragrancing. Fragrance oils may contain several different kinds of essential and carrier oils. Generally they are not as costly, nor as potent as essential oils. Use discretion when handling essential or fragrance oils because they could irritate the skin and/or eyes. You should also be careful not to get the oils on wood furniture as it could be damaging.

Fixatives are sometimes added to potpourri to help prolong the scents. A few examples of fixatives are: Orrisroot, cellulose fiber -- which is actually ground-up corncobs, and calamus root.

Displaying

I recommend displaying potpourri in a decorative bowl with a lid. Remove the lid to release the scents; replace the lid in between times to help preserve the aroma. The longer it is exposed to the air, the sooner the scent will evaporate.

My Homegrown Potpourri

In my endeavor to create nearly authentic potpourri, I gather gallons of botanicals from my gardens, my friends’ gardens, and by collecting Nature’s treasures through walks in meadows and woodlands. Although it is quite time consuming, it gives me a chance to enjoy Nature’s bounty and Her little surprises just waiting to be discovered!

From Spring and through Fall, I gather as many diverse botanicals as I can. I dry them – either by hanging in bunches in areas of our home, or with a food dehydrator.

Seedpods and pinecones are heated in the oven to rid them of any little critters that may have attempted to set up housekeeping inside them! After they are dried, I sort and store them by color until it is time to choose which plants to include in different types of potpourri. I occasionally purchase a few items that I do not grow myself to enhance the appearance and natural scent of my potpourri, such as: star anise, cinnamon sticks, seedpods, and whole cloves. When buying botanicals, I deal only with reputable herb farms.

Botanical potpourri certainly has a wonderful scent on its own, but I add essential oils to enhance those scents. I use essential oils rather than fragrance oils because I think they’re more diverse when concocting varieties of blends.  When working with strongly scented botanicals, I believe the oils should “complement” the natural scents rather than try to change them!

Although botanical potpourri -- with or without scented oil -- smells delightful, fixatives can help prolong the scents. Orrisroot is my choice because it is hard to beat its endurance. I choose the “cut” form because it is less of an irritant for those who are allergy-prone. I also found that the powdered form could leave a residue on the plants which detracts from their appearance. I am not aware of customers who have had allergic reactions to Orrisroot, perhaps because of the small quantities used. After the Orrisroot is added, I cure the potpourri in glass containers for about four weeks to allow all the plant material to absorb the scent of the oils.

I have a wide variety of plant materials in my potpourri, so I try to provide as much information as possible for customers who may be allergy-prone. Although we may admire Nature, She sometimes can cause discomfort!

The following are botanicals I gather and disperse throughout all three types of my potpourri: Lavender, Forsythia, Marigolds, Black-eyed Susans, Russian Sage, Purple Basil, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Tansy, Yarrow, Roses, Bluebeard, Bee-Balm, Peppermint, Spearmint, Delphinium, Larkspur, Santolina, Lamb’s Ear, Hyssop, Catnip, Catmint, Artemesia (Wormwood and Sweet Annie), Honesty (Money Plant), Purple Sage, Apple Mint, acorns, pinecones, and seedpods. Depending on the scent, I may add purchased items to enhance the appearance, i.e., star anise, oak moss, ferns, whole cloves.

SUMMARY

I hope this information has given you a new appreciation for some old-fashioned traditions that often get lost in today's competitive marketing.  The popular drive these days to get "back-to-nature" has beckoned of us to bring back the quality of handcrafted, homegrown treasures that can be made by simply learning about what lies beyond our back door!

SUGGESTED READINGS

There are countless volumes of books available on making potpourri and other scented products.  The two books recommended here extend way beyond potpourri and are packed with educational and inspirational information about the many facets of herbs and other botanicals.  These books are out-of-print, however, it would be worth your while to search internet auction websites -- such as Ebay and Amazon -- for available copies.

Herbal Treasures by Phyllis Shaudy

The Pleasures of Herbs by Phyllis Shaudy