With Love From Nature: Making Your Own Potpourri

[OSI]

Over the past few days, Mother Nature has gifted me with rose petals that have fallen off my rose bushes which I have been gathering either as they fall or if the bud is done blooming I clipped off the whole flower and laid it in a plastic storage container to dry. I just got through mowing and noticed I have a abundance of Morning Glory in different colors growing around my fence and my neighbors so I took a pair of scissors out and clipped the flowers which are now in my container to dry along with the rose petals. I will be leaving that container on the porch and gathering more flowers as time goes bye... by fall I should have a large amount of potpourri given to me by Mother Nature. This might be a fun project for the kids give them a sand bucket and take them on a nature walk and let them pick up small pine cones, crab apples, flowers and you can also add the rinds from oranges, limes and lemons. Just cut into small strips and allow to air dry in the sun or if you have citrus that is going bad you can also cut it into slices and allow to air dry and add to your potpourri mix or use a food dehydrator to dry them.

Anna

[madmum]

It sounds lovely and the nature walk sounds a fab idea
I love making pot pourri

[HAPPY6]

Yes, this is a great thing for kids to do. Adults too! I like going on nature walks and my grandkids do too. They can find/see/hear the most interesting things that just amaze them. I haven't made pot pourri in awhile, I think I'll start this project with the grandkids real soon.

[OSI]

Um.. one thing we learned today is Maddy has Rose of Sharon trees in her yard and we thought it a brilliant idea to gather those flowers too. I was showing her next door neighbor who also has one. He said "Make sure you dip those in water" ants live in the flowers. Sure enough looking closely I could see little ants, so we had to rinse the entire container with water twice and let air dry outside as usual. Until fall, I wouldn't recommend bringing anything in till they are all good and dried out.

Anna

[MKS]

Some things, like the pine cones, you can bake at a very low temp to kill any of the bugs that live in them. I don't have the specifics tho, sorry.

[HAPPY6]

The grandkids and I did some flower pressing. Pressed flowers can keep their shape a long, long time. Scientists still study specimens that were dried in the field more then one hundred years ago. It's easy and fun for kids to do. They are great to put on cards and other projects.

[OSI]

Yes, those would be pretty... you could actually get some of that nice paper that has threads through it (haven't seen it for awhile but I think they sell it in the scrapbooking paper) and frame the dried flowers on it and hang on the wall. You can also do fall leafs when they have those beautiful reds and golds such as Maple Leafs.

Anna