There’s no doubt that the lingering, heady scent of roses is one of the most romantic on the planet. Whether you want to make your own homemade potpourri from rose petals in order to preserve memories of roses you’ve been given or you just want to create your own scented mix because you don’t like the potpourri mixes available in stores, creating a potpourri mixture of dried rose petals is really easy.
First, you’ll have to dry the petals. Lay them out on a flat surface in a dark, warm area for several days, stirring them around occasionally. Drying the petals on a mesh screen works fastest, since it allows for the most air circulation, but you can also dry them on a cookie sheet or even just an old board.
Once the petals are dry, you’ll have to add a fixative to them. This will have a scent of its own, so be sure that you like the scents mixed together. Common natural fixatives include sandalwood, oak moss, and dried lavender. You’ll need at least a tablespoon of fixative for every quart of rose petals. If you want, you can also add a complementary scent or two to the mix. Spicy, warm, and citrus scents tend to go well with roses; you could add dried orange peels or cinnamon, for instance.
Finally, you’ll want to let the mixture mellow out a bit before you actually use it. You can do this by sealing it in a jar for several days, being sure to shake it up every forty-eight hours or so. After about two weeks, your potpourri will be ready for use. Put it in mesh bags to stuff into closets or drawers, or display the pretty mixture in glass containers around your home.