Maes-Reyns colors your garden

In Moorsele, West Flanders, Isabelle Maes and her husband Wim, together with a team of ten permanent and about as many seasonal workers, grow flowers and plants for wholesalers, garden centers, green services and garden professionals. The Maes-Reyns site, accounting for some 14 acres of growing space, houses a huge diversity of annuals and perennials.

Text Elise Noyez    |    Image Maes-Reyns

Maes-Reyns has existed for more than fifty years. The family business was founded in 1967 by Isabelle Maes' parents and evolved into a modern and extensive flower and plant nursery. Although it wasn't always flowers that were grown on the Maes-Reyns family grounds. "Originally, my father grew vegetables," said Isabelle Maes. "It was at the request of his local customers that he started growing more vegetable plants and flowers in the 1970s. Then in the 1990s, the decision was made to focus entirely on flowers and plants."

Wide range

Today, Maes-Reyns has a huge and colorful assortment of annuals and perennials, identifiable by the Bellibells label. "In early spring we offer pansies, primroses, vegetable plants and herbs, among other things. A little later, we focus mainly on annual seedbed plants and geraniums, begonias and balcony plants. Then in the summer we have a nice flowering assortment available again, and in the fall the emphasis is on nice fall items such as cineraria, calocephalus, brassica, heuchera, gaulteria, pansies and perennials."

Isabelle Maes: "We follow trends closely and embrace suggestions." (Image: Maes-Reyns)

Listening ear

In other words, the offerings vary from season to season. What remains constant is customer attention. "Like my father so many years ago, we try to meet our customers' requests as best we can. We follow trends closely, embrace suggestions or specific wishes, and grow some special varieties for parks and gardens, for example."

Smooth service

Meanwhile, the website allows customers to access the seasonal assortment and allows a weekly dispo list to easily place orders. A maximum of two days later, everything is ready for pickup.