PotPourri Pots | PotPourri Bowls | Pot Pourri Gifts

Potpourri usually consists of an assortment of dried flower heads, petals, husks, seedpods, leaves, stalks and cones soaked in scented oils and fragrances in order to create an aromatic mixture to scent living areas, bedrooms or drawers and cupboards. Usual fragrances are fruit or semi-precious aromas such as lavender, rose or sandalwood, although some artificial fragrances such as Fresh Linen are popular.

The words pot pourri are French for "rotten pot." Potpourri has been used for thousands of years as a distraction from the rank odors of everyday living. Ancient Egyptians used dried flowers in their mummification rituals. In medaeval times, dried aromatic herbs were thought to ward off illnesses, and even evil spirits or the devil. Nosegays of scented flowers were carried by the wealthy against the smells and miasmas of city life.

The Victorians loved decorative vases, bowls and jars filled with potpourri; servants would prepare fresh displays on their mistresses' dressing tables. It was thought that pillows filled with lavender potpourri would induce sleep; plants such as clove might help with toothache.

Potpourri is still used for the same reasons today, as a decorative feature and for its fragrance. Bowls of Potpourri are common in homes and public buildings. Sachets placed in cupboards and drawers refresh clothes and linen, and lavender pillows still grace bedrooms to aid sleep.

Around the early 18th century, with the fashion for large gatherings at dances and balls, it became fashionable to place large quantities of scented petals and fragrant oils in beautiful vases and containers to mask unpleasant odors rather than removing them by washing and bathing. These vases would have been of porcelain or china, with holes in the lids and around the top to allow the scent of the flowers to escape. Elaborately styled, and exquisitely decorated, potpourri vases have become collectors pieces long after their original function has been discontinued. Among the makers of potpourri vases were such famous names as Derby, Minton, Spode, Royal Worcester, Wedgewood, Coalport and Royal Doulton.

Later potpourri vases and bowls were smaller and could be made of stoneware or ironware; they now performed a more decorative function as greater understanding of hygiene rendered the need for fumigating a room less necessary. The Victorians' love of beauty saw the use of potpourri vases and bowls as a purely aesthetic domestic ornament.