Ann and Rudy Boudolf - Velle took over the rose nursery from Louis Lens in 1992. Lens was the most famous rose nursery in the Low countries and he had created lots of very famous roses such as Pascali, Dame de cœur, Rush, Guirlande d'amour and Dentelle de Malines.
When they took over the nursery they moved it from Mechelen (Malines) to their own nursery in Oudenburg in Flanders, Belgium. Since then Ann and Rudy's journey was a success story. Today they are the worldwide nr 1 in breeding Multiflora's (Moschata Hybrids). They sell one of the biggest collections of old roses and are the purveyor of the royal households of Belgium and Luxemburg. Still they stayed very humble and ever so friendly and I'm proud to call them friends...
Here is the interview Ann was so kind to give me:
Dirk) Ann, you took over the nursery in 1992 from the great Louis Lens. How was it to work with him?
Ann) We met Louis several times but unfortunately both nurseries were far apart. Because we did some trading with Louis we got to know him and decided to take over his nursery. He was a modest and quiet man but talking about crossing roses and creating new ones he could go on forever, it was his passion.
Dirk) When and why did you fall in love with "The Rose"? Was it love at first sight?
Ann) During his final year of studying to be a garden and landscape architect Rudy had to make his thesis and he chose roses. This occurred after a visit to the company of Maurice Vergote and Mia Gevaert in 'De Ruysschaert'. Maurice and Mia showed us their beautiful rose collection of old roses that were blooming at their best then. I still remember the "3 gracious ladies" as Mia could tell it beautifully: Mme Legras de St. Germain, Mme Plantier and Mme Hardy. The pergola with the strongly scented Souvenir de Claudius Denoyel, Paul Noel, Sombreuil and the climbing rose Pompon de Paris with its decorative leaf next to the front door left a big impression on us. There we were introduced to the Moschata Hybrids (Multiflora Hybrids) of Joseph Pemberton: Danae, Prosperity, Felicia, Cornelia, Ballerina, ... they were all there and also the new groundcover roses of the Flemish breeder Louis Lens: Pink Spray, White Spray, ...
In the years 1981-82 we didn't really talk about groundcover roses yet.
That was our first introduction to roses. We were in love with each other but also with roses....
We got addresses of the growers where they bought their collection: Chédane Guinoisseau, Cant, Kordes, Guillot, ... and wrote to these companies to get their catalogs. (Internet did not yet exist). So Rudy wrote his thesis on "Climbing Roses" and allowed me to type them out so I was directly involved with the roses.
That was the beginning of collecting and finding out how to grow the plants because our parents were not from an agricultural or horticultural background. Getting to know the plants, making sheets for noting their qualities and ancestry, ....
After his studies, Rudy started designing and landscaping gardens and we also started a small nursery with the emphasis on "the roses" and had a catalog with mainly many climbing roses, old roses, Moschata's of Pemberton and some bedding roses.
Thus we tumbled into the world of roses and on our way we met Louis Lens, the most famous rose grower in our country Belgium at that time.
Dirk) Running such a large nursery is a lot of work. What do you prefer doing at the nursery and what not so much?
Ann) Rudy likes best the field work, the cultivation both in the field and in containers and everything that comes with it. Also following up the rose garden and maintaining the machinery.
I prefer working with the customers and also looking for new varieties, the crossing work. In addition, I am now often homesick for the field work, but you can't do everything. But fortunately there is a lot of pruning work at the moment and I can help with that too.
Dirk) Lens roses is best known for its Multiflora Hybrids (Moschata's). Why should people plant them in their gardens?
Ann) Moschatas are large-sized spray roses. They have a bushy character.
Why these plants? Most have a natural character, not the stiff branches of the large-flowered Hybrid Teas but usually slightly arching twigs that are flexible.
They are well established, keep their foliage well (don't go bare quickly) and have no artificial foliage.
They are roses with unlimited possibilities in the garden: From mini (Claire Jolly), to climber against a wall 'Guirlande d'Amour', 'Danaé', ...as a climber against a lower ash setting: Jena Stephenne, Cornelia, ... as a low shrub 'Comtesse André d'Oultremont', 'Ballerina', ..., as a medium-high shrub Rosalita, Gaard um Titzebierg', ... as a tall shrub: 'Musquée sans Soucis', 'Pink Magic', ... as a solitary, for a loose hedge, in borders/groups, in pots , as a cut flower in a cup, ...
They bloom well again and again during the summer and in most cases have their
best bloom in autumn, when the clusters are even larger and the color more intense. They are hardy and many Moschata's with their smaller flowers in large clusters have the delicate, romantic look of the old climbing roses. Some varieties produce an abundance of hips after their final flowering.
Characteristic of these roses from the Synstylae group is that the fragrance is spread by the pistil and stamens, not by the petals. This makes it a fragrance that is carried into the environment. Their scent is a combination of sweet, spice and musk. It is not as strong as historic roses, but this is scent is noticeable in most Moschata's.
They give much back to nature, attracting bees that collect pollen and nectar. All varieties with semi-double and single flowers are of interest to bees and so are quite a few among the moschatas. A few make hips that in turn attract birds to the garden. They are the roses for the 21th century gardens and gardeners. Low maintenance and high impact. Our current young customers are also specifically asking for roses that they can do something with: Make bouquets, make jelly, ... and that attract bees and birds.
(Making jam, soup, chutney ... but that is with larger hips of rugosas)
Dirk) Ann, you take charge of developing new varieties. Where do you look at and what does a new rose needs to have?
Ann) First and foremost the flowers, their qualities: shape, fragrance, color, the multitude of flowers,
Health, that becomes clear in September, when we see how long the leaves stay on the plant.
The plant in itself must also be interesting in form.
It should not be yet another Ballerina or Bonica, the plant should show something new, color, flower form, shrub form.
Dirk) You sell hundreds of varieties, if you could choose 5 roses which ones would they be and why?
Ann) That is very difficult. We love so many of them... but if you insist:
Felicia
Caroline's Heart
Millie Fleur
Smiling Sun
Mon Amie Claire
Dirk) Since the end of the 20th century, there has been a lot of emphasis on disease resistance and a return of more fragrant roses. Is it harder to combine those two traits?
Ann) Yes, you have to find the parents who pass on those qualities and even then heredity plays a role. Louis always said: "Scented garden roses nod easily and the customer doesn't like that. "
In the 18th century people didn't have fungicides and pesticides, they knew nature wasn't perfect. Some roses were more prune to diseases than others. Today people are very demanding, they call us in total panic when there's an aphid on their roses or when the first bloom has proliferation (a green heart at the center). Just like the apples and tomatoes in the supermarket customers demand for perfect roses but that's not how nature and we ourselves are put together.
Always crossing and searching further raises the bar and there are more and more roses that approach that perfection.
That is also the importance of continuing to search.
Dirk) Climate change is starting to become more apparent and people are paying more attention to ecology. Is this affecting the creation of new varieties?
Ann) With Moschata's Louis Lens had been in this direction for years. In fact, Louis was a little too early with his roses because everyone was still too busy with Hybrid Teas and English roses. But since 2019 and certainly after Corona we notice that many and most of the young customers choose roses that give something back to nature as I described above. People are choosing less those roses that require too much maintenance and follow-up.
Also roses that they can use in bouquets, in the kitchen etc... are popular.
Dirk) Ann, What would your ideal creation look like? What kind of rose would you still really want to create?
Ann) I've already learned not thinking about that. One time it came true with La Feuillerie, a Moschata with English roses style flowers in clusters. The fragrance however is rather weak but the leaves, the blooms, the color, the shape are perfect. A rose with few demands.
And Caroline's Heart, which for most people answers to what they imagine as a rose. Especially the fragrance, continuous flowering (from May, sooner than other roses, until freezing) health, leaf mass, bush form are perfect here. I also use them in bouquets throughout the summer.
Moschatas, like the original wild/botanical roses, are misfits but they still hold my greatest interest. They are more captivating.
Dirk) Many of our group members live in America. They are appalled that Lens creations are almost unavailable in the USA. Are there plans to sell roses back in America in the future?
Ann) We are working on it. Currently, roses cannot be sent from Belgium to the US or Canada because there are no agreements with our food agency regarding the harmful organisms. From the Netherlands, Denmark or Germany it is possible but then the plants have to be kept in quarantine for another 2 years.
Dirk) Ann, I would like to thank you for this long and very interesting interview.
Ann) It was my real pleasure. Give my kind regards to the group members!
