At one time, fresh herbs and plants were necessary to fragrance the home, hiding less savoury smells. Lavender and rosemary were often strewn over floors or straw to sweeten the air, while many herbs were essential for medicinal purposes. Many of the aromatic herbs dispelled the fusty air in damp rooms and kept linen free of moths.
Medieval and Elizabethan Pot-pourri
In medieval and Elizabethan homes, pot-pourri mainly consisted of fresh flowers, herbs and spices. Placed inside special containers, the warmth from the fire would release the fragrance to perfume the room. The lid could then be closed and the herbs moved to a cooler position for a while. The ‘rotted pot’ was a fairly accurate description of the pot-pourri at this time as it was usually made from moist mixtures which caused the colour to fade as the flowers decomposed.
Moist or Dry Pot-pourri
Fragrant and long-lasting, the moist method of making pot-pourri is the authentic, original type which gave it its name. It was usually prepared with layers of old-fashioned, scented rose petals and salt, to which an alcohol such as brandy was added, along with the other ingredients. This type does, however, need to be kept in a lidded jar, like in Elizabethan times, as it becomes an unappealing mud colour over time.
In modern homes, dry pot-pourri is usually the favoured choice. These can be colour-coordinated to suit the room, according to the recipe chosen. Dry pot-pourri has the advantage of being displayed around the home in pretty open bowls of fragrance.
Contents of Dry Pot-pourri
Part of the fun of creating pot-pourri is being able to experiment in the choice of content according to personal taste. The five basic ingredients of dry pot-pourri are:
Flowers: such as roses, lavender, lilac and carnations for scent and larkspur, marigolds and rosebuds for colour.
Herbs and Leaves: including rosemary, sage, bay, lemon verbena, mint and lemon balm for their long-term fragrance.
Spices: cinnamon sticks, star anise, vanilla and ginger have a strong, yet subtle aroma. Dried orange peel gives a Christmassy scent.
Fixatives: scents like sandalwood, angelica root, orris root, vetiver and myrrh help to blend and fix the fragrances together.
Oils: these should be added sparingly, one drop at a time. Geranium, lavender, and oil of rose are popular choices.
Making Pot-Pourri
- Pick a variety of flower petals and rosebuds (if using) according personal preference
- Lay them out flat on shallow baskets or sheets of muslin until dried, which should take about two weeks
- Tie bunches of herbs and leaves together and hang them in a dark corner of a room until dried
- In a large glass or ceramic bowl, mix the dried petals, leaves and herbs together
- Add the fixative and essential oils and using the hands, mix everything together
- Place in a storage jar or covered bowl in a dark, dry place and stir regularly for anything between one to three weeks, until the scent is strong enough
- Display in pretty bowls around the home
By Victorian times, pot-pourri was highly valued in the large country houses and these old recipes are still often used today. In modern homes there is nothing to beat a bowl of freshly prepared, pot-pourri for fragrance, rather than spraying the room with man-made scents that may damage the ozone layer.
Various mixtures can also be used in items such as pomanders, scented sachets, sleep pillows, lavender bags and moth repellent bags, all pretty home-made gifts that are ideal around Christmas.
Sources include:
Susie White, Teach Yourself Herbs (Hodder & Stoughton, 1993)
David Squire, Herbs (Tiger Books International, 1994)
Sylvia Landsberg, The Medieval Garden (British Museum Press)
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