If you love the smell of a herb garden and the idea of bringing the outdoors in, then you’re in luck! Try your hand at making these easy smudge sticks, and you’ll be rewarded with the most incredible aromas, both as you make them and as they smoke away. Make this your new flower crown party and pile up mountains of herbs and blooms for your friends to make their own – hello bridal shower! Or place them at table settings for an earthy and scented gift for your guests.

You can use a huge variety of herbs and plants to create your own unique aroma, so have a think about what will work best with your theme. The bundles can be given fresh or dried, however, if you’re wanting the smudge sticks to be dry when handed out as gifts, allow at least 2 weeks for the them to lose all their moisture. If you’re happy to hand them out as fresh bundles (or if you’re making them as an event activity), try to pick the herbs that day, and ensure they’re as dry as possible. Replace your beloved candles with these freshly scented bundles, and you may never go back!

What You Will Need:

  • Depending on the amount (and size) of herb bundles you’re looking to make, you’ll need quite a lot of herbs. Ask around and see who has a flourishing herb garden, or pop to the local grocery store. I’ve used rosemary, thyme, sage and lavender, along with some dried rosebuds. Stick to woody plant material, and also consider pine, lemon grass or anything else that will dry well.
  • Cotton twine
  • Scissors

What To Do:

Step One. Trim all of your chosen plant materials to a similar length, around 15-20cm long. Select a bundle of herbs and flowers and tie firmly together at the bottom of the posy. I used approximately 5 sticks of rosemary, 4 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig of sage, 6 stems of lavender and 2 stems of roses per bundle. The thicker the posy the better it will smoke.

Step Two. Begin to wind the twine tightly up the posy, tucking in stray leaves as you go. Remember that as the bundles dry they will shrink slightly, so tie them as tightly as you can. Wind up and down the bundle twice to ensure it is all held together, tying a firm knot at the base and leaving a little length of twine for ease of drying.

Step Three. Once the bundles are tightly wrapped, you can either give them as gifts as they are, or hang them to dry. If you’re hanging them to dry, use the extra length of string to tie them somewhere out of direct sunlight, away from moisture and with good air flow. Drying can take from 2-4 weeks, depending on how much moisture was in the leaves when they were created.

If giving these delightfully herby bundles as gifts, it may be best to leave instructions. Be sure to remind your guests never to leave anything burning unattended. Once the bundles are lit, they should smoulder – not burn – releasing a gorgeous scent to rival any favourite candle!

Ms Zigzag says: I can almost smell the intense floral and herb aroma now. The natural aroma of these DIY smudge sticks will put any stressed bride’s mind at ease.

About Ms Honeycomb  – Hi, I’m Nicola, the florist and crafter behind rubyandjoy. I’m a gardening, fabric loving, mint tea drinking, brownie baking, book obsessed maker! I love a good adventure having just moved back from five years in Scotland (with my lovely Scottish husband).