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Potpourri
Ingredients
Flowers:
Roses - Old fashioned varieties for fragrance, hybrids for color;
use buds or petals
Lavender - A rich long-lasting clean fragrance
Chamomile - Pungent, heady and flowery
Orange blossoms - Very heady and sweet
Calendula - Bright orange and yellow colors, no scent
Heather - Tiny pink blossoms with delicate scent
Statice - Firm bright colored flowers, no scent
Herbs:
Rosemary - Fragrant needle-like leaves that blend well with roses
Thyme - Rich and herby
Bay leaves - Delicate, long lasting scent, whole or broken
Lemon verbena - A true lemon scent that lasts for years
Spearmint - Fresh, strong scent
Orange mint - A cologne-like fragrance
Spearmint - Fresh, cool fragrance
Marjoram leaves - A delicate herb scent
Marjoram flowers - Pale pink tufts with mild fragrance
Spices and fruit:
Cinnamon - Crisp and long-lasting, use freshly broken sticks
Cloves - Long-lasting and strong scent; use whole
Allspice - Mild spicy fragrance, use whole
Orange and lemon peels - Dried and broken for a sweet, rich scent
Others:
Cedar - Shavings or dried leaf tips; rich and woodsy
Balsam - Rich and very long lasting, use needles or tips
Hemlock cones - For bulk and appearance
Oak moss - Soft gray color, earthy aroma
Eucalyptus - The scent of a florist shop; use long leaves of mature
tree
Orris root - A fixative with very little scent of its own; use chipped,
not powdered
Essential oils:
Choose to match the flowers and herbs; avoid spice oils, which tend
to overwhelm a blend, and artificial "fruit" oils which
lend a sickly-sweet, un-natural smell.
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