How to make dried flower potpourri is part of the Colonial Craft series where kids (and adults) can literally ‘make history’.
When you are finished making potpourri, be sure to check out our other Colonial Craft tutorials.
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What is Potpourri?
Potpourri at its essence is a mixture of petals, flowers, and spices in a bowl used to perfume a room. A good flower potpourri usually lasts about two months but can last longer depending on what blends you make, where it is placed, and how you use it.
Basically potpourri is a natural air freshener. These days it can be made with many different things both natural and not natural. The word potpourri has become synonymous with ‘variety’. But it all started with dried flowers…
…and the French…
The History of Potpourri
The French stated this grand tradition of dried flower potpourri. I know what you are thinking….Paris, the city of lights, the city of love…. well, back in the 1600’s and 1700’s it was known as The City of Mud.
The City of Mud earned this moniker because the air was full of pollution, crowded buildings, cemeteries, hospitals, tanneries, mortuaries, sewage….
This nasty air made people sick.
SOOOOO people started filling their homes with dried flowers, fresh flowers, perfume, and….potpourri.
Potpourri in French means… ‘The Pot that rots.’
As the flowers and herbs broke down and decayed, the sweet scent was released into the air and voila! Sweet smells everywhere!!!
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Ready to make your own Potpourri?
Supplies
We make it easy for you. All the supplies you might need can be found at Sage’s Colonial Craft Supply Shoppe.
Flowers that work well in Potpourri
There really is not a right or wrong answer here. When it comes to choosing dried flowers for your potpourri it depends on your taste. Some dried flowers are bright and pretty but don’t have a strong scent. Others may not be as beautiful but have an amazing scent.
We’ve discovered that the dried flowers that work best in an old fashioned dried flower potpourri are rose, lavender, marigolds, jasmine, and tulips.
Spices and herbs can make awesome additions as well! We are big fans of sage, rosemary, eucalyptus, thyme, and cloves.
A note about Potpourri vessels
Glass, wood, or ceramic are the best choices for dried flower potpourri. Metal can alter scents (and that wouldn’t be period correct anyhow).
Video instructions on How to Make your own Potpourri
Step One
Prepare your workspace. Lay out a cloth down for easy clean up, all the different dried flowers you will be using and a bowl.
Step Two
Add pinches of each of the dried and fresh flowers that you want to use. Smell them along the way so you can be sure the scents compliment each other and one doesn’t over power the rest.
Step Three
When your bowl is about half full, mix your potpourri gently. Take care, since the flowers are dried, you don’t want to crush them into little tiny bits. The purpose of mixing the dried flowers is to blend the individual scents into one scent.
Step Four
Add some accent flowers or accent bits like citrus or a rock or a pine cone. These are not meant to add to the overall scent of the potpourri but help make it look pretty by giving it a little pop of color or extra texture.
That’s it! You have a bowl of dried flower potpourri!!
How to Refresh Potpourri
As mentioned before dried flower potpourri usually lasts about two months. By keeping it out of direct sunlight and breezes, it will last longer. Placing it in small rooms will also help it keep.
Stir it Up: The quickest and simplest way to refresh your potpourri is to give it a little stir. This releases the scent back into the air. :
Essential Oil: A few drops of essential oil perks up a dried out potpourri very quickly. If you use this method, just use a few drops at a time and shake it up. A little bit goes a long way.
Hairdryer: A low heat can invigorate tired dry flowers. This method brings back color as well as scent and works especially well on eucalyptus.
Dust it off: If your potpourri gets dusty put it in a zip lock bag. poke a few holes in the bag and then shake vigorously. The little dust particles will fall out of the holes. Bonus: all that shaking should also revitalize the scent.
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What to do with your Dried Flower Potpourri
So you’ve made this beautiful bowl of smell good. Now what? I’m so glad you asked!
Put your bowl of potpourri on a table and let the fragrance fill the room.
Make little sweet bags or sachets for drawers, cupboards, or gifts
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Hang your flower potpourri in a mesh bag in the shower and have an all natural aroma therapy shower.
Put your potpourri in a mesh bag and use it to make a bath tea. (Same idea as the shower but in a bath and without a dried flower mess to clean up).
Heat it up. This requires an adult supervisor but the slightest amount of heat like from a lamp will help disperse the scent though the room.
Give it as a gift. Home made gifts are always in style and always the perfect fit.
Seasonal Potpourri
As mentioned earlier, potpourri doesn’t have to be just dried flowers. Try making a Christmas blend using cinnamon sticks, nuts, pinecones, dried apples and dried berries.
Modern Potpourri
Most modern versions of potpourri are for decorative purposes so often times they are made with silk flowers or other synthetic (non natural) material. I’ve seen rocks, glass, sticks. Another modern favorite thing to do is to add scented gel balls. I find them slimy and a little bit like fish eye balls or boba neither of which I find appealing so we tend to keep our potpourri of a more nostalgic and natural way.
Just wanted you to know there were options. Really, potpourri can be just about anything you want these days.
Make History with your family
Dried Flower Potpourri is one of many craft videos and articles we’ve put together for you. They are really fun ways to ‘make’ history. Get it? HAHA I crack myself up.
Seriously, American History can sometimes be a bit dull to learn. These crafts are really fun ways to experience history and have a little fun. Bring history alive and maybe even make a few Christmas presents!!
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Super cute video and I love the crafting idea as a fall gift. Thanks for sharing!!!
I am not a big fan of decorating with this but it definitely could be something fun to teach and do with the kids!
I think most kids enjoy a good flower craft. And don’t discount the power of a home made gift. 😉 Gives new meaning to ‘flower power’. lol if you do the flower potpourri let me know how it goes. would love to hear.
This was a really cool post. I did not know much about potpourri. Your post made me wonder if we can make potpourri with some of our local Hawaii flowers.
oh there is a great many flower to choose from in Hawaii!! I mean, look at all the fragrant beauties that are used in a flower lei? Dried hibiscus is lovely in a flower potpourri and also in tea. If you use the fragrant plumeria flower, I recommend drying it in Borax as just air drying will turn the white flower brown. ew. same with pikake flower and orchid.
Great crafty idea! And I love the little history lesson. Thanks for this.
I’m so glad you enjoyed “How to make dried flower potpourri!” I hope you’ll check out our other Colonial Crafts too 🙂
What a perfect thing to do during this time. I LOVE things that make my home smell nice – this is great!
yes, dried flower potpourri is always a lovely thing to make 🙂 I hope you get to make some!
I haven’t seen potpourri in ages… glad to see it’s making a come back
Isn’t dried flower potpourri just the best? It brings back memories of times with my grandparents. 🙂 I hope you make some!!
This looks like a lot of fun and a great gift for kids to make for family and friends.
Dried flower potpourri is a lot of fun and a perfect gift to make! It always fits and is always the right color. 😉 I hope you make some potpourri presents!!
Flower potpourri looks like a fun idea to make.
Dried flower potpourri is a really fun idea! I hope you make some. Potpourri is great for your own home and for gifts. 🙂
Dried flower potpourri is great for school age kids!
And for grown ups! Dried flower potpourri is simple enough that little ones can make it too with some supervision (not all flowers are edible) I think little ones would enjoy the pretty flower ‘soup’. We used to make flower soup in the back yard. Little did we know we were carrying on a tradition… 🙂
Thanks for your tips. I haven’t had flower potpourri in my house in ages. It might be time to make some! I love your “model”. Wonderful post.
Potpourri is a bit of a lost art, isn’t it? I loved having all the dried flowers around. I hope you do make some!
Your model is adorable. Looks like lots of fun.
Thank you Sandi! She LOVED making dried flower potpourri! She made flower gifts for everyone. Her favorite flower I think was the rose… or maybe the lavender. They smell so good!! I hope you get to make some soon!
What a great post. I like the video and step by step instructions. Two different ways for different learners.
I’m so happy you noticed! Dried flower potpourri is lovely to make and we try to accomodate different learning styles.
What a great video!! She is a natural in front of the camera.
Glad you enjoyed How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri! What’s your favorite flower scent?
I haven’t smelled flower potpourri in years! Such a great project though. I’m adding it to my list of things to try this year. 🙂
Excellent! How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri is a lot of fun and very soothing with the great smells. Flower power!!!
So fun! I am adding this to our list of things to try.
Yay! let me know if you have any questions along the way. It’s pretty simple to make dried flower potpourri but then again, never say never… LOL
I’ve never made my own potpourri before, but it looks like it would be a fun activity to do with my kids. Of course they probably wouldn’t all want to make the same scent, so we’ll probably end up with a lot of potpourri by the time it’s over! Haha. But my house should smell good,right?
Making dried flower potpourri is great fun to do with the kids! AND dried flower potpourri makes excellent home made gifts for the holiday!
Tis’ the season to start drying your own for potpourri as well! Sage does a wonderful job demonstrating how easy it is!
yes it is!! Dried Flower potpourri is so much fun and pretty twice if you are drying your own flowers!
I love making flower and herb potpourri too!
Dried flower potpourri is really a lovely activity isn’t it? I find it stress relieving. 🙂
What a cutie! Love the video!
Glad you enjoyed How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri! Hope you get to make some with your kiddos! I can see them having a good time with it
What a fun project! I haven’t thought of potpourri in years!
it’s true that potpourri isn’t as fashionable as it was in old days what with diffusers and fancy sprays these days. But I think some old fashioned things are making a come back… hoping How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri does too. 🙂
This post and the photos are so cute! What a great idea to do right now while everyone is stuck at home.
Yes! How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri is one of a series of ‘how to make’ tutorials we are posting. Hope you enjoy and get a chance to make your own dried flower potpourri
That looks like fun. How creative.
Making dried flower potpourri is indeed fun! I hope you get a chance to make your own version of potpourri. Dried flowers, herbs, all the lovelies.
I can’t wait to try this! What a wonderful gift to give to friends and family! Thank you so much!
I can see you giving a batch of dried flower potpourri along with your book as a very thoughtful gift for the senses!
I’ve always wanted to try this! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri!!! You’ll have to share photos of your potpourri when it’s finished!
Cute! I am going to pass this along to a friend of mine who loves to do things like this.
Excellent! Glad How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri is finding its people! Must be the flower power!
This looks like a fun project!
How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri is one of many ‘how to make’ tutorials we have on our blog for fun ideas on how to make history. Check them all out! They are fun ( and there are several to make using dried flower)
This would be fun to do once the flower shops open back up!
You can use flowers you find in nature or we have them already dried and ready to purchase in Sage’s Colonial Craft Supply Shoppe for very reasonable price. The beautiful thing about How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri is most if not all can be done with no cost.
Great videos! I am not naturally crafty so I appreciate step by step how-to projects! This is a perfect time for people to de-stress by making some potpourri!
How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri is lovely for stress reduction and also dried flower potpourri makes lovely home made gifts. 🙂 I mean, who doesn’t like receiving a flower?
A very interesting read. Thanks for the information. My sister and her husband used to grow and make their own potpourri. It was amazing and lasted a long time. Thanks for sharing.
I think you are probably well versed in How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri as it’s very similar to making tea 🙂 Flower Power!
I remember potpourri! What a great idea!
I’m secretly hoping little treasures like How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri make a come back 🙂
Interesting! And that’s a great way to clean your potpourri!!
Another method for cleaning dried flower potpourri involves vodka but since this is geared for working with kids I thought I’d not include that method LOL
Sage is a cutie! Great post. I need some potpourri 🙂
Thank you for reading How to Make Dried Flower Potpourri. I’m sure if you don’t want to make your own, she would be happy to make and sell you some. She’s always fundraising for something…and anything to play with a flower!