The
Peggy Martin rose is a vigorous climber with an abundance of pink
clusters, a repeat bloomer with a slightly musky fragrance. Photo by
Suzanne Longley.
Peggy Martin Rose
The Peggy Martin rose is a vigorous, graceful climber
for pillars, trellises, walls, fences, and arbors. It grows fast and
blooms generously with clusters of dark pink flowers from March through
May. And after establishing a couple of years, the blooms repeat every
fall after the heat abates. Throughout the year, it displays flushings
sporadically. Each spring, the flowering is more glorious than the year
before.
A good rose for a beginner, the only
pruning required is for shaping and removal of dead canes. It’s
extremely tenacious, hardy, and disease resistant. The rose is
thornless except for a small prickle at the beginning of the leaf. Give
it room to grow to realize its full potential.
The
Peggy Martin rose is thornless, making it safe for gates, entrance
arbors, and play areas with children. Photo by Suzanne Longley.
Also
known as the Hurricane Katrina rose, this rose is the symbol of renewal
and growth. Peggy Martin, a leading rosarian of southern Louisiana,
lost her home, parents, and a commercial fishing boat her husband used
to supplement their income in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sea water of
20 feet inundated her home for two weeks. Returning, she found this
unnamed pink rose in full bloom, emerging from the mud, while losing
hundreds of other bloomers. Dr. William Welch, Texas A&M
horticulturist, came up with the idea of renaming the rose and sharing
marketing proceeds to help raise funds to restore parks and gardens in
New Orleans, Beaumont, and Laurel, Mississippi, by promoting
propagation with nurseries. The Peggy Martin rose has become a classic
garden mainstay. Every rose is given a name when created, but many are
dropped from commerce over the centuries, their names forgotten as new
varieties come into vogue. Martin had planted cuttings she took from
her hairdresser in 1989. Experts think it may have originated in
Germany. This special survivor has been given a new identity as the
Peggy Martin rose, now an inspiration for Gulf Coast communities for
surviving devastation with tenacity, beauty, and grace. Peggy Martin
continues to live in southern Louisiana, researching the origins of
this rose that bears her name.
