GreenDealer Exotic Seeds of Potpourri Plants

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DRY POTPOURRI

Making your own dry potpourris is an easy and enjoyable process. We are assuming you are going to make your potpourris from plants in your garden.

First, you will need to collect and dry your potpourri material. Collect flowers, leaves and branches of the plants early in the morning after the dew has dried off of the plants. Many different types of flowers and leaves can be used. The most often used flowers are rose petals, lavender, lemon verbena, rose geranium and tuber rose. Do not hesitate to try different varieties. If it has rained recently, wait until two days after the rain before harvesting material. Dry the material on a piece of screen wire suspended off surface. Turn the material every couple of days until very dry. Keep materials out of sunlight or the materials may become quickly faded. If material tends to blow off, place another piece of screen over the materials. You do not have to harvest all of the materials needed for a potpourri at one time. Small quantities can be stored in airtight containers until needed.

When enough materials have been collected and dried, it time to start your potpourri. Start by mixing flowers, leaves and twigs until you have achieved the right visual effect. The right visual effect is whatever pleases you most. For every quart of flowers and leaves, add one tablespoon of fixative material. To this mixture add a couple drops or more of fragrance oil. Again, the right mixture is the one that pleases you most.

When the mixture is complete, store in an airtight container to allow the various fragrances to meld together. Store for about a week. Shaking the material around a couple of times during the wait will improve the results. The finished product can be stored in glass containers for a beautiful visual effect and the top opened whenever fragrance is desired. The mixture can also be made into sachets by placing in small tea bags or muslin or cheesecloth bags.

Note about seed germination:
Most species of seeds have hard casings to protect the seed "embryo". For most of these "hard" seeds, the outer shell must be scarred, scratched or softened in some way. Some species take up to a year to germinate and will need help in the beginning to get the shell softened. Most varieties of slow germinating seeds will turn black and rot if there is not sufficient heat in the soil (75 to 90 degrees F. for most species) or if the soil dries out or is allowed to remain too wet, which will encourage the growth of one or another of the varieties of fungus or mold. It is important to speed up germination and to get the plants growing as soon as possible in order to avoid potential problems.
Anyone who has soaked dried beans before cooking is familiar with the process of softening up the shell. When the outer shell is softened it allows the contents to expand. Potassium Nitrate (Saltpeter) can help in softening up these outer shells. It is available in many drug stores, but for those who have difficulty obtaining a small amount, we offer 1 teaspoon packets for $1.00.
Soak the seeds in a solution of one teaspoon of the Saltpeter to one quart of warm water for at least 24 hours. Do not allow the seeds to dry out but sow them immediately using the remaining solution to water the soil or other growing medium. Soak several species of seeds at once in smaller containers of the same solution and have the containers of growing medium or soil ready for planting as soon as the soaking period is complete.
SS100 Potassium Nitrate (Saltpeter)
one teaspoon packet $1.00