Potpourri fetches top prices
Potpourri has become highly sought after this year, and I was contacted by Jackie McCarrick for Flora magazine to discuss the trend.
She mentioned designer brands selling potpourri for £80 to £125 a pack and asked me to comment. My thoughts are that designer brands will always charge more for things, but DIY is cheaper and comes with a sense of satisfaction!
Reasons behind the trend for potpourri
Jackie asked about the possible origins of the current trend – in my opinion, there has been a long-term lean towards natural products as a reaction to mass production and plastic, which I have witnessed over the space of fifteen years. Other areas benefitting from this movement are handmade goods and dried flowers.
During lockdown this year, the preference for all things nature has stepped up a notch, with people finding solace in houseplants and handicrafts, and making the most of being outside when they are allowed. There’s a financial element too: when your income may be uncertain and you have time on your hands, that’s the perfect time to give DIY a go.
Gertrude Jekyll was a potpourri fanatic
I told her about the historic gardener Gertrude Jekyll, who would make a massive single batch of potpourri once a year using flowers she had collected through the seasons at her home at Munstead Wood. It was particularly heavy on rose petals but she gathered any scented material she could find including leaves and citrus peel. She made so much she needed a wheelbarrow to transport it and would tip it out on the kitchen floor to mix it. One unusual ingredient she always added was violet fragranced talcum powder, which must have added a wonderful element of sweetness.
Making my pot pourri this year
This year I made some potpourri from my garden. I dried the flowers and petals first, then added a few drops home fragrance oil. No need to add fixatives, and it can be used within a day rather than leaving for weeks to develop.
In the images of my potpourri, you can see I used some flowers which look good and some that smell good.
Fragrance from:
- Monarda
- Peony petals
- Whole roses
To look good:
- Geranium
- Aquilegia
- Marguerite daisy
- Passionflower
- Viburnum
- Cistus
- Love-in-a-mist
I added a few drops of Honeysuckle and Jasmine home fragrance oil mixed with a single drop of Rose fragrance oil to give a lovely cottage garden perfume. I always shake the petals together with the oil in old tupperware (don’t re-use it for your sandwiches!) and leave it overnight to infuse before displaying.
Find out more:
How to make potpourri