Mix together bits of your favorite fragrant plants in a bowl.

What You Need

• Thin fabric, such as cotton (optional)
• Fabric scissors (optional)
• Flowers
• Garden snips
• Peels from oranges or lemons (optional)
• Ribbon (optional)
• Spices, such as cinnamon or clove (optional)
• Towel, paper or fabric
• Tray

What You Do

1. Potpourri can take many weeks to dry, but you can have fun creating a mixture that smells good right now.
   Do this activity whenever there are fresh flowers blooming. It’s particularly fun to do in early fall, to capture a bit of the summer before the cold temperatures arrive. If you have flowers in your garden, pick a few to snip. If you do not have a flower garden, tell neighbors about your project and see if they will let you take a sampling from their gardens. Always ask permission before snipping.
2. Snip a variety of colors and shapes.
   Here are some good ingredients:
   • the petals or the entire heads of flowers such as roses, geraniums, carnations, marigolds, lilies, or violets
   • herbs such as rosemary, thyme, lavender or sage
   • the lightly crushed needles and leaves from pine, sassafras or sweet gum
   • the cut peels from citrus fruits such as oranges or lemons
   • household spices such as broken cinnamon sticks or cloves

   

3. Lay out the towel on a tray.
   Lay out the snippings so they can dry.
4. Store the potpourri in sachets.
   It may take a few weeks for the plants to dry out completely. Once the plant materials are completely dried out, you can put them in a sachet.
   To make a sachet, cut the fabric in a square and put a small bunch of dried plants in the center. Fold up the corners and tie with ribbon. Place the sachets in places where you’d like to have a smell of summer.