As the seasons shift and we spend more time indoors, it’s easy to miss the soothing connection we feel with nature. But the beauty of the garden doesn’t have to stay outside. One meaningful way to bring the essence of the natural world indoors is by crafting your own incense using dried herbs and flowers. This simple practice not only fills your space with comforting aromas but also offers an intentional, hands-on way to engage with nature all year long—without synthetic chemicals or artificial fragrances.
Why Make Your Own Incense?
Homemade incense invites the sensory beauty of herbs, flowers, and roots into your home in a personal and mindful way. Beyond the lovely aromas, burning incense can offer deeper benefits:
- Promotes Relaxation and Mindfulness: Fragrant herbs like lavender, mugwort, and sage help create a sense of calm, making your space feel like a sanctuary.
- Supports a Clean, Natural Environment: Store-bought incense and air fresheners often contain synthetic chemicals. Homemade incense ensures you’re breathing in only what nature intended.
- Repurposes Herbs from Your Garden: Drying herbs you’ve grown yourself turns the bounty of your garden into something that lasts all year. It’s a way to stay connected to your garden, even in winter.
The Incense Formula
We use a simple recipe that blends dried herbs with marshmallow root and water. Marshmallow root acts as a gentle binder, giving your incense cones structure while allowing the herbs to burn smoothly. Here’s how to get started:
Ingredients:
- 4 parts dried and ground herbs (lavender, rosemary, sage, cedar, pine, calendula, mugwort—whatever you love!)
- 1 part marshmallow root powder
- 1 part water
How to Make Your Incense Cones
- Grind the Herbs: Use a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or spice grinder to turn your dried herbs into a fine powder. The finer the grind, the better your cones will hold together.
- Mix the Ingredients: In a bowl, combine the ground herbs with marshmallow root powder. Slowly add water until the mixture becomes a damp, moldable dough.
- Form the Cones: Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll them between your fingers to create tiny cones (about 1 inch tall) with a flat bottom.
- Dry the Cones: Place the cones in a cool, dry spot for about 3 to 5 days, or until they are completely hardened. Be patient—this step ensures they will burn properly.
- Enjoy Your Incense: Once dry, light the tip of a cone, blow it out to release a gentle stream of smoke, and let it fill your space with the grounding scents of your garden.
Herbs to Try in Your Incense
Different herbs bring different energies and benefits, making it easy to customize your incense to suit your mood or intentions:
- Lavender: Calming, ideal for relaxation and sleep
- Sage: Cleansing and protective, often used for removing negative energies from spaces
- Rosemary: Invigorating and mentally clarifying
- Mugwort: Dreamy and meditative, good for introspection
- Pine or Cedar: Refreshing and grounding, reminiscent of winter forests
A Year-Round Ritual of Connection
Crafting incense from your garden is a meaningful way to stay connected to the seasons and the natural world, even when the garden beds are resting. It transforms the herbs you’ve nurtured into something that offers ongoing benefits throughout the year—bringing calm, clarity, and comfort into your home.
At The Secret Garden, we believe that small, natural rituals like these enrich our lives in powerful ways. If you’d like to learn more about using herbs to create your own incense or need help selecting plants to grow for next season’s incense blends, visit us—we’d love to help you get started.
— Warm regards,
The Team at The Secret Garden
