New rambler rose ‘Hetty’ named after retiring chairman of the Dutch Culture Group for Roses and Rootstocks

Fourth generation rose grower and trader, and retiring chairman of the Dutch Culture Group for Roses and Rootstocks, Hetty Crooijmans, has been honoured with a new rambler rose named after her. She attended a ceremony on Friday 1 March at Wageningen Plant Research in Randwijk to water a container planted with the new, very vigourous rambler rose. The event coincided with the Culture Group’s Annual General Meeting.  

For many years, Hetty Crooijmans has been ambassadoring the Dutch garden rose industry’s values and mission. She joined Limburg’s tree growers’ association in 1994.

Subsequently, she has served as the chairman of the Dutch Culture Group for Roses and Rose Rootstocks, first with the secretariat running under the Dutch Association of Tree Growers and, as of 2016, under the Dutch horticulture trade body for nusery stock and bulbs, Anthos.

Crooijmans deserves credit for helping roll out the Roses4Gardens campaign and boosting the Excellence Roses quality mark. She was also one of the driving forces behind Expo 2022 Floriade’s rose gardens.

Rosa ‘Hetty’ is very vigourous, repeat-flowering rambler rose featuring semi double flowers in hues of pink and red. Its clusters of small flowers have a subtle sweet scent and are attractive to pollinators. Rosa ‘Hetty’ was bred by the famed Marco Braun, who crossed the ramblers  ‘Scented Lilac’ and ‘Heidetraum Plus’.

In The Hague’s Westbroekpark Rosa ‘Hetty’ has been trialled for several years and proved tob e vigourous and disease resistance. It can reach 2,5 to 3 metres in height.

Hetty Crooijmans is a fourth generation rose grower/trader who runs Reuver-based H. CROOIJMANS & ZN BV together with her brother. The core business of CROOIJMANS & ZN BV’s is growing garden roses and trading bare root roses, while fruit trees, fruit tree rootstocks and several other ornamentals are equally part of their business.