Herb Garden Gifts Are Unique – Three Gift Ideas and How to Do It

Using garden herbs to scent their homes have been popular through the ages. In this article we’re going to show how to make herb garden gifts to scent pillows, bath water, and even potpourri.

To make scented throw pillows, make a 5″ x 7″ pillow to match your decor and fill it with a sachet mixture of your choice. A mix of equal parts rosemary blossoms, rosemary leaves and pine needles dried and thoroughly crushed, make a nice combination.

Well known for soothing frazzled nerves, a scented bath is also considered a true luxury by many women and a lot of men if they would admit it. And even young children enjoy the experience. To make an herb concoction that will please everyone, dry large quantities of lemon balm, lemon verbena, sweet marjoram, rosemary, any of the mints, lavender, and rose germanium. Substitute any fragrant leaves as you choose. After the herbs are dry, put them in fancy glass jars to give as a gift.

For a bath, steep about a half cup – more is OK — of the herb mix in boiling water for about 15-20 minutes. Strain the result into the bath water. Step in, lie back, and enjoy pure luxury.

In the days of Nero and earlier, sanitation and ventilation were not on the top of anyone’s list as a thing to be concerned about. To combat the evil smells people created from not washing or cleaning up, they covered up the problem by strewing herbs all over the place indoors.

Today we don’t have Nero’s sanitation problems, but we still continue the tradition of creating a nice fresh smell in the rooms we live in with herbs. There are many recipes for potpourri but only two methods of preparation, moist and dry. The moist method is a bit old fashioned, and the process causes the herbs to lose their color, so the dry method only is discussed here.

First, dry roses, petals and buds of the most fragrant varieties you have on hand. Sprinkle the mix with a light layer of un-iodized salt, and then add more herbs and dried flowers of your choice. Blue borage, stars, yellow calendula, bachelor buttons, or other bright small flowers work well. Be aware that all herbs and flowers must be dried before you add them to the roses. As you add more flowers and herbs to the mix, add more salt. When the mixture is well dried, add a little bit of powdered cloves, mace, and cinnamon (about a quarter of an ounce) and the same amount of crushed coriander, cardamom seed, powered gum benzoic and gum storax. Leave the mixture tightly closed in a glass jar for about a month before using.

Herbs make a nice addition to any dried flower mix for any occasion. Enjoy what you make yourself, and extend the joy with a gift to those people who are very special in your life.