INTRODUCTION
Flowers have always remained an
integral part of man’s life and love for natural
flowers is an inherent instinct .
Fresh flowers though quite
attractive, are very expensive and short lived
as well as available only during a particular
season. Dried flower products on the other
hand are long lasting and retain their aesthetic
value irrespective of the season (Malcolm
1994).The art of flower drying is a very age
old practice. Earlier dried flowers were in
practice in the form of herbarium made by
botanists for the purpose of identification
of various species (Prasad et al 1997). In
‘The Florist’ published in 1860, author
describes the techniques of drying red rose,
pansies, stock and other single flowers in
sand. Though drying of flowers was well
known even in the past but for the first time
the flowers were dried commercially in
Germany (Jean and Lesley 1982). Dried
and preserved ornamental products offer a
wide range of qualities like novelty, longevity,
aesthetic properties, flexibility and year
round availability (Joyce 1998). Dried
ornamental plant parts are generally less
expensive and are sought for their