One alternative to preserve the aesthetic appearance of the rose flower is to preserve it with drying methods that allow the flower to maintain its fresh flower characteristics. In this study we evaluated the response to dehydration in three Rosa hibrida cultivars: ‘Vega,’ ‘Ravel,’ and ‘Papillon’ with red, pink and yellow flowers, respectively. We worked with two mixtures of desiccants (corn flour-detergent and corn flour-borax) in 1:1 and 2:1 (w:w) proportions for each mixture. In addition, two pure desiccants were evaluated (rice flour and silica gel). Three drying periods were tested: 7, 14 and 20 days for the mixtures and rice flour; but only 2, 3 and 5 days for silica gel. The variables evaluated were: flexibility, firmness, form, color, flower texture, petal abscission, and moisture loss. For both desiccant mixtures and pure desiccants, cultivars Ravel and Papillon had the highest values for most of the variables evaluated. Fourteen days for both mixtures and rice flour and three days with silica gel were the best drying periods for cultivars Ravel and Papillon; cultivar Vega needed 20 days for mixtures and rice flour and five days for silica gel. Desiccants showing the best preservation for quality characteristics in dehydrated roses were: silica gel, desiccant mixtures at a 1:1 proportion, and rice flour, respectively. Drying period and cultivar were critical in obtaining dried roses of good quality.

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