A Lottum rose now also bears the name of André Rieu

 

After a purple tulip, a Lottum rose now also bears the name of André Rieu, and he likes the rose even better.

De Limburger, by Kitty Borghouts, Photo Credits: Laurens Eggen 

André Rieu and rose cultivator Frank Coenders christen the new variety.

 There was already a tulip named after him, but now André Rieu also has a red rose which bears his name. During the Feast of the Rose in Lottum, it was named on Sunday.

On the day that he has been married 47 years, and moreover in the middle of his holiday, André Rieu stands on stage in the warm tent of the Feast of the Rose in Lottum. "My house is full of visitors," he says, after the audience spontaneously started singing a "long-may-he-live" at the announcement of his special day. "But of course I come to name this rose, it is a great honor for me. Exactly thirty years ago I gave a performance here at the Market, from which I have warm memories. Earlier a purple tulip has already been named after me, but honestly I think this rose is even more beautiful."

Ten Years

On the occasion of the Feast of the Rose, a (for the time being) one-time successor of the defunct Rose Festival, a new rose has been developed. "That's a long process," says the Lottum rose cultivator Frank Coenders, who developed the new variety together with Serbian breeder Biljana Bozanic. "It takes about ten years. Crossing, sowing, and then selecting the best from the series and then move on." The result is a rose that is especially strong in fragrance and deep color, says Bozanic.

With two glasses of champagne, Rieu and Coenders together baptized the pot rose. In the coming period, the variety – the series is called 'sense of love' – will be further increased. Coenders and his people have already started on that. "In addition, we listened to Rieu's music during work in recent weeks, ," he says. "Very inspiring. Roses and classical music are a perfect combination, they are both connecting."

The rose village now hopes that the musician will use the rose named after him during his future shows. "I would need to speed up the propagation," says Rieu. "If all my ten million followers want that rose, do you have enough in stock for them?"

Thanks to John for the Translation