A traditional potpourri is the lovely scent of a perfect blend of naturally fragrant dried, plant materials which will produce a gentle and natural scent of nature at its best to your lovely home. Naturally fragrant plants in a potpourri will often consist of a mixture of Cedar, Cypress, and juniper wood shavings, as well as Lavender, Mignonette, Rose, Jasmine leaves and flowers plus some Cinnamon bark, Marjoram sticks, some small cones and of course fragrant oils.
You might not have known, but the word potpourri originated in France and had nothing to do with dried leaves and flowers at all. It had to do with food instead, especially a Spanish stew called “Olla podrida” which had an array of mixtures of sweet smelling spices that filled the early French kitchens with a wonderful sweet aroma.
Today as we know it, Potpourri is usually placed in a decorative wooden bowl or tightly knit basket, but containers of other material are widely used to show of these fragrant and colorful mixtures. Potpourri can also be placed into small sheer fabric bags tied together with a pretty ribbon at the top.
Unfortunately, some modern potpourri can consist of anything but real plant materials. Instead a variety of strong synthetic perfumes and or strongly colored dyes can be added to different synthetic materials, to make it look like the real thing. Sometimes, items that do not belong in our gardens can be added to a natural potpourri to give a more aesthetically pleasing and bulky look to it as well.
There are many traditional blends to choose from, such as apple orchard, bayberry, country cottage rose, gardenia, lavender and spice, holiday nut and fruit, gingerbread, chocolate and coffee blends, lily of the valley, magnolia, Halloween blend just to mention a few.
vThere are also wax potpourris that come in a variety of different fragrances, and should be placed in an electric or a tealight warmed simmer pot for the most successful fragrance release. Wax potpourri will fill the air with a natural and gentle aroma throughout your home, and anywhere else to your liking.Copyright 2008 © candledecorstore.com All rights reserved.