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Making potpourri with dried flowers
March 3, 2008 |
It is the popularity of dried flowers that has lead many flower sellers to specialize in arts and crafts revolving around dry flowers. The flower industry in India is quite large and has been exporting dried flowers and other parts of plants for about twenty years now. Potpourri seems to be the most popular among dried flowers exports. So if you want to make potpourri at home what do you need to do? Its simple and all you have to do is follow these easy steps-
- The very first step involves collecting petals free of dew. Immediately, line them up on a tray.
- Keep the tray directly under the sunlight so that the petals dry up faster. (One point of advice- if you fail to gather petals, use cut flowers as a substitute).
- Next you’ll need to put the petals inside a tightly sealed container and cover them up with a drying agent like silica gel and keep the mixture intact for 5 to 6 weeks.
- Make sure to check on the mixture every three days. Only when the petals turn papery will you be able to use them for potpourri.
- Once you see petals are completely crisp you can incorporate them into a potpourri mixture. You can increase the life of dried flowers and petals by spraying them with hair spray. And make sure the spray isn’t scented.
- When you’re making potpourri you’ll surely want its essence to remain as long as possible. One item that you must never forget to include is orrisroot. This ensures that you potpourri mixture smells nice for a long time to come! An ounce of orrisroot is adequate for two pints of flower petals.
- If you remember to throw in orrisroot you must also not forget nutmeg, dry lemon peel, allspice, cinnamon and cloves to the potpourri mixture. Try to preserve this in an airtight jar for a minimum of five to six weeks. And your potpourri will be ready!