Evolution of Potpourri From Historic to Modern Times
Potpourri can be termed as a mixture of dried out plant materials with a strong natural fragrance but will sometimes contain imitation scents as well.
Potpourri is commonly used for providing a pleasing and mesmerizing scent from natural materials and is most commonly used indoors in residential areas and homes.
Potpourri is not commonly used outdoors.
Potpourri is commonly placed in decorated wooden bowls, or in covered glass jars that allow scent to filter through a room slowly.
Alternatively, it may be tied inside of a small sachet and used to scent a wardrobe or closet.
The word potpourri is not originally from the English language but has its roots in the French word 'pot-p'urri'.
In the 17th century, fresh flowers and herbs were gathered in spring and summer harvests and left to dry in the sun.
They were then covered with coarse sea salt which helps the herbs to dry more slowly, without losing their scent.
During this time, the mixture of dried plants often began to ferment and even mold as summer progressed.
When fall arrived, most potpourri mixes were mixed with spices to the mixture, usually to add more fragrance to the mixture.
From there, the prepared potpourri was placed in special pots with ventilated lids to allow scent to filter through a room.
The traditional recipe for potpourri had a beautiful, mesmerizing fragrance and included the mixture of many natural scents from flowers and plants.
These scents included cedar wood shavings, cinnamon, jasmine oil, flowers, juniper wood shavings, lavender, mint, rose, rosemary, orange peel, lemon peel, lemon balm, cloves, and more.
Properly mixed, these elements provide an awe inspiring and beautiful fragrance that is appreciated by many people.
Modern potpourri has a slightly different mixture and consists of dried out plant matter shaped and dried in a decorative manner.
It could also not be from scented plants used in historical potpourri, thus missing the really strong scents of natural perfumes, and instead relying on synthetic ones.
Colored dyes are also added by many potpourri makers, usually to make the mixture more decorative, but often holding no resemblance to the original materials used in the potpourri.
At times, the materials will have absolutely no relation to the scents, or the appearance of the mix.
The idea is to make the potpourri more attractive to people wishing to have it on display because the plants are now larger and bulkier, therefore more pleasing to the eye.
Some people even spray certain perfumes or scents on potpourri to make the scent stronger, however, unless this is done slowly, soaking the mixture into the potpourri, the scent will fade after a few days rather than releasing it slowly afterwards.
Potpourri is commonly used for providing a pleasing and mesmerizing scent from natural materials and is most commonly used indoors in residential areas and homes.
Potpourri is not commonly used outdoors.
Potpourri is commonly placed in decorated wooden bowls, or in covered glass jars that allow scent to filter through a room slowly.
Alternatively, it may be tied inside of a small sachet and used to scent a wardrobe or closet.
The word potpourri is not originally from the English language but has its roots in the French word 'pot-p'urri'.
In the 17th century, fresh flowers and herbs were gathered in spring and summer harvests and left to dry in the sun.
They were then covered with coarse sea salt which helps the herbs to dry more slowly, without losing their scent.
During this time, the mixture of dried plants often began to ferment and even mold as summer progressed.
When fall arrived, most potpourri mixes were mixed with spices to the mixture, usually to add more fragrance to the mixture.
From there, the prepared potpourri was placed in special pots with ventilated lids to allow scent to filter through a room.
The traditional recipe for potpourri had a beautiful, mesmerizing fragrance and included the mixture of many natural scents from flowers and plants.
These scents included cedar wood shavings, cinnamon, jasmine oil, flowers, juniper wood shavings, lavender, mint, rose, rosemary, orange peel, lemon peel, lemon balm, cloves, and more.
Properly mixed, these elements provide an awe inspiring and beautiful fragrance that is appreciated by many people.
Modern potpourri has a slightly different mixture and consists of dried out plant matter shaped and dried in a decorative manner.
It could also not be from scented plants used in historical potpourri, thus missing the really strong scents of natural perfumes, and instead relying on synthetic ones.
Colored dyes are also added by many potpourri makers, usually to make the mixture more decorative, but often holding no resemblance to the original materials used in the potpourri.
At times, the materials will have absolutely no relation to the scents, or the appearance of the mix.
The idea is to make the potpourri more attractive to people wishing to have it on display because the plants are now larger and bulkier, therefore more pleasing to the eye.
Some people even spray certain perfumes or scents on potpourri to make the scent stronger, however, unless this is done slowly, soaking the mixture into the potpourri, the scent will fade after a few days rather than releasing it slowly afterwards.
Source...