What Can I Do With My Old Roses That Are Dried Up?

Decorate a Homemade Swag

• Create a swag decorated with dried rose buds. Wire eucalyptus branches into two bunches, overlapped and attached in the middle and fanning out at both ends. Make a hanging loop or hook from wire for the back of the swag. Tie a large raffia or wired ribbon bow to glue on the center where the eucalyptus is wired together. Use your old roses to finish decorating the swag. Cut off the dried rose stems, leaving only the buds. Hot glue them to the eucalyptus strands, framing either side of the bow. Glue 3-inch pieces of baby's breath around the roses and on either side of the bow to complete the swag.

Make Scented Potpourri

• Old dried roses make a nostalgic scented potpourri. Simply gather the petals and place them in a bowl. Toss in any other sweet-smelling flower petals, such as dried lavender, for variety. Add texture with dried citrus peel -- the oils will still carry a faint citrus smell -- and tiny pine cones. Mix 2 tablespoons of a fixative, such as powdered orris root, oak moss, cellulose or ground gum benzoin, per 4 cups of dried petals. The fixative absorbs and retains the scent of the drying flowers. Place the mixture in a paper bag, shake it to distribute the fixative, and store the bag away from direct sunlight to season for 2 to 4 weeks. A few drops of rose oil and your dried rose petals are ready for an open bowl in a warm place or small fabric bags for drawers and closets.

Scented Rose Beads

• Turn your old, dried roses into a necklace. Remove all of the petals from a dozen dried roses and grind them to paste in a blender or food processor with about 1/2 cup of rose water. Add a fixative, such as powdered orris root, oak moss, cellulose or ground gum benzoin, to keep the smell fresh. A binder -- guar gum or gum arabic -- and a long simmer in an iron pot, will turn the paste to something that resembles dark clay. Roll the mixture out onto wax paper, cut off small cubes and form them into round beads or cylinders. Pierce through the middle with a wide needle or slim nail and thread the beads on a string. Hang the beads up in a sunny place to dry for up to two weeks. Once dried, you can polish them with very fine sandpaper.

Wedding and Party Decorations

• If you have a large amount of dried roses, you can use them as wedding or party decorations and accessories. Use the petals to decorate a cake or cupcakes, pushing them into the icing. Sprinkle the dried petals over the table settings. Toss them along a bridal path and fill small paper cones with the dried petals, offering them to guests to toss, instead of rice, over the bride and groom after the ceremony.