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If you’re deadheading a rose bush or you have a wilting bouquet, don’t throw out the petals. Make a rose potpourri! 

The recipe below can be simplified to just the rose petals, lavender, and cinnamon if you wish, but we really do advice the oils which will take your potpourri to the next level! 

Don’t be afraid to experiment with your own formulas. For hundreds of years, people have invented ways of preserving the fresh fragrance of flowers and herbs! 

Potpourri Recipe

• 1/2 cup rose petals
• 1/2 cup lavender blossoms
• 1/2 cup sweet woodruff*
• 1/2 cup pot marjoram leaves and blossoms*
• 1/4 cup mint*
• 2 teaspoons orange peel*
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves*
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon dried cinnamon though a crushed stick is better)
• 2 drops each of lavender and rose oils*
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered orrisroot*
• Sealable glass jar

* Optional.

Rose Potpourri Directions

1. All of the flower petals need to be dried first.  (To do this, remove the petals and spread them on a surface covered with a layer of newspaper or cardboard in a dry spot for several days.)
2. Combine the first eight ingredients.
3. Sprinkle the oils and the orrisroot over the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Place in a covered jar, and gentle stir the potpourri after 24 hours. Ideally, let the potpourri sit for a week or even up to a month, gently shaking every few days, until the scents have blended and mellowed.
5. Remove the jar’s cover to freshen a room, but be sure to replace the cover between times of use. All potpourris need time to recoup their scents. The above recipe will also work well in sachets.

Illustration by Margo Letourneau