Guest Author - Hellie T.

Pot-pourri smells delicious,it brings the scent of summer to your rooms and looks beautiful too.

This is my recipe for a sweetly scented mixture made with flowers and leaves found in a traditional English garden.

The best time to pick the flowers is on a sunny morning after any dew has dried and when the blooms are just starting to unfurl.

They can be dried on a flat surface - I favour a cake cooling rack myself –where the air can circulate well or hung in small bunches by the stems in a warm dark place.

Leaves should be dried whole.
You know when they are dry because they should crackle if squashed and then they can be crushed which releases their aroma.

If you haven’t got these plants in your garden they are all commonly available, so why not start growing them now. Click on plant list to see details of how to grow the plants.

I have used as a standard measure 225ml or 1 cup

For scent

2 cups or 450ml carefully dried rose petals
2 cups or 450ml carefully dried lavender flowers
1 cup or 225ml of violet flowers
1 cup or 225ml of honeysuckle flowers
1 cup or 225ml of sweet rocket flowers

For aromatic leaves

1 cup or 225ml of sweet myrtle leaves
1 cup or 225ml of bergamot leaves

For color and texture

1 cup or 225ml of sweet myrtle flower buds
1 cup or 225ml of delphinium flowers
To this add 5 tablespoons of orris root.

Gently mix flowers and leaves together then add the orris root.
Use a plastic bucket to mix them in or large mixing bowl.

Cover with several layers of newspaper and seal with cling film and elastic bands. The air should not be able to get to your mixture. Then you need to leave the mixture in a warm dry place for about 4-5 weeks.

Use pot pourri bowls or jars for displaying your pot pourri for the best effect. Little cut glass bowls or larger pottery bowls are good too.

The thing to remember is that pot pourri is best kept in something you can keep closed (or cover with cling film) when it is not in use.
For instance use in guest bedrooms - take the cover off the day your guests are due to arrive and cover it again when they have gone.

As delightful finishing touches scatter dried “everlasting” flowers or dried rose buds on the top.

Enjoy the scents of your English Garden all through the year!