Naming of the rose “HELIX”, in honor of POST Luxembourg’s new headquarters

As part of the construction project of its new headquarters, the HELIX building, POST Luxembourg called on the non-profit organization Patrimoine Roses pour le Luxembourg to design a rose in honor of the building. The rosebush’s integration into the HELIX project is a way of commemorating the symbolism of the new building, but also of underlining POST’s commitment to biodiversity and its desire to make everyone aware of the need to respect nature. POST is part of a movement to revive the rose-growing tradition of Luxembourg, a country renowned worldwide in the Belle Époque for its cultivations of roses.   

The naming ceremony and signing of the rose’s baptismal certificate took place in the inner courtyard of the HELIX building on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in the presence of Pierre Zimmer, Deputy General Manager of POST Luxembourg, Claudine Als, President of the non-profit organization Patrimoine Roses pour le Luxembourg and Martin Vissers, the rose’s breeder. Sponsor Shahram Agaajani, architect of the HELIX building, and sponsor Isabelle Faber, Director of Human Resources, Public Relations and CSR of POST Luxembourg, christened the HELIX rose with water from the Weierbaach, the creek that runs alongside the POST buildings at Cloche d’Or.  

At the naming ceremony, Claudine Als explained: "The rose was not supposed to be too sophisticated, but above all natural and melliferous - in other words, with nectar that attracts bees. We therefore opted for a flower without too many petals, echoing the POST colors, thus excluding red or pink. The flower also needed to be able to grow in a shallower depth of soil, so that it could flourish in the interior garden of the HELIX building." 

HELIX is a robust, low-maintenance ground-cover rose created by Belgian rose grower Martin Vissers. The flower has five white petals and yellow stamens. Flowering lasts from June to November. In winter, it produces rose hips rich in vitamin C, a favorite with birds. Its fragrance is subtle. The flower is much appreciated by bees. Simplicity is the beauty of this ornamental ground-cover rose, which not only covers surfaces, but also provides protection for small animals. This 20-30 cm rose is suitable for shallower soil depths and for planting in containers. Thanks to its exceptional characteristics, the HELIX rose has won several prizes in international competitions. 

In honor of the "HELIX" rose, a sheet of 8 special meng.post stamps has been issued by POST Philately and the non-profit organization Patrimoine Roses pour le Luxembourg. 

The HELIX rose (available in autumn) and the stamp sheet can be ordered from Patrimoine Roses pour le Luxembourg by bank transfer to account LU61 0080 3057 2290 2001 (BIC/Swift: BLUXLULL). 

The bare-root rose is priced at 20 euros, as is the stamp sheet. 

(Source : POST Luxembourg, 1 juin 2023)