Decorating Techniques for Roses

Garden Roses

• Shrub roses hide unattractive pumps, stacks or sheds. Rose trellises form an entrance to a walkway or garden. Climbing roses decorate mailbox posts or can wrap around light poles or porch columns. Climbing roses trained along a post and rail fence or shrub roses generate a decorative division between the driveway and lawn.

Dried Roses

• Preserve roses for later use by either hanging cut stems upside down in bunches to dry or covering the stems and blossoms with silica gel. Once preserved, dried roses are accents on wreaths, in dried flower garlands over windows or doors, in bouquets placed in vases or collector's frames, or even as part of the decoration on an old straw hat placed casually on a hat rack. Craft spray enhances the color of dried roses as well as preserves them.

Roses of Frosting

• Decorating techniques for roses used in cake or pastry are numerous. Beginners decorate with simple rosettes created by using a star tip in a circular pattern. More advanced decorators use various petal tips creating roses that look almost real. Coloring these edible roses is as simple as mixing buttercream frosting or as complex as hand painting each rose imitating the flower's intricacies.

Roses in Arts and Crafts

• Rose motifs are found on pillows, china and artwork. Prints of antique roses add to a cottage-style decor, while art deco roses or photographs bring a touch of whimsy to modern decor. Needlepoint and cross-stitch patterns of roses provide crafters with options for creating pillows, wall hangings and trimmings for clothing. Use a china or porcelain cup and saucer decorated with roses to add an inviting ingredient to a side table or bed stand.