They worked together at the Meilland nursery in Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, collaborating on the selection of new rose varieties; Louisette was the administrator for the nursery. Months later, right before Germany's invasion of France, Francis sent cuttings of the new  rose cultivar to fellow rose growers in Germany, Italy, and Turkey, and also to the Conard-Pyle company in the U.S. Francis named the pink and yellow blend rose, ‘Madame Antoine Meilland,’ after his late mother, Claudia. In the U.S., the new rose was successfully propagated.
Francis and Louisette worked together at the Meilland nursery in Tassin-la-Demi-Lune, focusing on selecting new rose varieties; Louisette oversaw the nursery's operations. Before Germany's invasion of France, Francis sent samples of his new rose to fellow growers in Germany, Italy, and Turkey, as well as to Conard-Pyle in the U.S. He named the resulting rose ‘Madame Antoine Meilland’ after his mother Claudia. In the U.S., the rose thrived.