How to Decorate Single Roses

Single roses are a timeless symbol of love and devotion. Men often use them in the beginning stages of courtship to show their affection or to make up to their girlfriends when they're in the doghouse. There's nothing wrong with giving a woman a single unadorned rose, but you can also dress up the flower in different ways before presenting it to her.

Crystallizing single roses not only gives them a nice visual affect but also turns them into an edible gift. You can crystallize a rose by brushing a thin layer of egg whites on the petals with a small paintbrush. Sprinkle a handful of white sugar over the flower. Turn the rose upside down and gently shake it to get rid if of excess sugar.

A unique way to personalize a rose is to emboss its front petals with a message like "I love you" or "Happy anniversary." Professional florists can carefully graft text, and even pictures, onto the petals. You can decorate them with a variety of messages, such as "It's a girl!," "Devon Marie Jones," and "Born Sept. 9" to announce the arrival of a new baby, and have her picture placed on a fourth rose.

Some people don't like to give single roses as a gift because they feel the flower looks bare when presented by itself. You can "fill out" the rose's appearance by wrapping it in several layers of colored tissue paper along with gypsophila, which is also known as baby's breath. You can also use fern leaves and arrange them so the rose is nestled among the greenery.

You can dress up a single rose's appearance by placing it in a bud vase. Choose a tall, thin vase -- or any other pretty receptacle, like an unusual bottle -- to complement the flower's long stem. Cut the end of the flower on a slant, fill the vase with water, place the flower in it, and trim any leaves that sit below the level of the water. Wrap a ribbon in a complementary color around the neck of the vase.