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Lex Voorn, owner and breeder of Lex+
‘Everything is coming up roses’
According to Lex Voorn it’s very simple: “If you want to make an impression, you bring roses. No other flower has the impact of a rose. It’s mysterious, elegant and chic, and at the same time a little edgy, because of the thorns. A rose is an interactive flower, it moves you instantly.” He should know, for he spends his life among his roses. Every day he inspects his greenhouse. Looks, feels, squeezes, picks, cuts. A few chosen ones are marked with a plain wooden stick: maybe, just maybe they will make it to the next round. He finds it hard to explain his method of selection. Anyone can grow roses, but to create is a gift. One that needs a lot of patience and a little intuition. “We test new roses to the hilt, because I want to be sure of everything,” says Voorn. “But most of the time I know instantly whether a rose will meet the Lex-standard or not. I can see it, I can feel it. Testing is necessary, but my rose radar works just as well.”
The most beautiful roses in the world
He started at fifteen, working for a grower. First weeding on his knees, later cutting roses. During eighteen years Voorn not only got to know every aspect of the business, he also discovered an undying love for roses. “There are flowers and there are roses,” he says.
“That’s my philosophy. No other flowers are worthwhile, in my opinion.” Breeding he did in his spare time, in a small rented garden. Endless muddling with a brush and almost giving up hope, but in the end he had a result: his first rose with a big flower head that he named Demi. Mystique followed, restlessness ensued. “I realised I really wanted to do this, on a much bigger scale,” he says. “Be my own boss, do my own thing. Create the most beautiful roses in the world. Very ambitious, but I knew I had it in me. That soft spot for a rose with the big bud has stuck with me. The way it bursts and explodes in colour – it still excites me.’
The greenhouse is the place to be
The success of Avalanche+ moved Lex+ to a better and brighter marketplace. This big, white rose instantly conquered hearts, minds, growers and thus the world. It made Voorn a well known and respected breeder and selector, who has created many other fabulous roses in the wake of Avalanche+. “The company carries my name, but blooms thanks to an entire team,” he explains. “Everyone works in his or her field of speciality. I stick to the roses – better than paperwork anytime. But it’s still a relatively small firm, I get to meet everyone in the greenhouse. Our way of holding a meeting is talking while cutting roses. In the end I know what’s what, that’s the only thing that matters. Everything is really coming up roses in my life. If possible I visit the greenhouse every day, even at weekends. If we have a really good rose, I want to see what it looks like the next day. They need to be judged on the whole cycle, for that I gladly make a detour. I’m far too curious not to.”
Still plotting the perfect red rose
It pays off. Lex+ is by now internationally renowned for its high quality roses and has won many prestigious prizes. Voorn doesn’t get carried away by it all; he’d rather focus on creating that perfect red rose that has been haunting him in his head. “I never get used to it,” he says, referring to his success. “I’m still pleasantly surprised by the response and results. It’s great to see something that started so small in Kudelstaart of all places, can be found all over the world. When I get off the plane in Africa to check on our testing greenhouses in Kenya, there are our roses at the airport. I recognize them in a heartbeat, they’re like my children. Besides a lot of plain old knowledge and experience, I invested a lot of joy and delight in them – perhaps that’s why they bloom the way they do. I like sharing them – roses have a way of reaching out and touching people. Like I said: it is the only flower that really matters.”
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