| Have you considered potpourri? For the original, "rotten pot" method, you gather fragrant rose petals (best if gathered from intact flowers before pollenization), dry them slightly until they feel a bit papery, then layer them with pickling salt in a jar with a good lid . Keep adding layers every day in the season, stir things up every once in a while. "Old-fashioned" roses with the typical "attar of roses" secent are best for this. The stuff will turn brown and look unappetizing, especially if you include white roses, but at the end, you transfer things to an opaque jar with a dual lid -- one solid, one pierced to let the scent out. You can make your own with canning jars and lids. Sift out the salt in the end, and if you can get some orris powder add it as a fixitive. For "modern" potpourri, gather fragrant or unfragrant petals and also tight buds. Dry until crisp -- a screen set in a hot place like an attic would be good for this. Then mix with other dried flowers, dried lavender florets, fragrant dried leaves like lemon balm, spices and add a few drops of essential oil. This can be put in an open container, since it's more for show, and refreshed with essential oils as needed. One thing we've never tried but that looks cool are rose beads. They supposedly keep their scent if made with fragrant varieties. |
