The Adam County Master Gardeners are proud to host a lecture by Peggy Martin on Thursday.

The story behind the “Peggy Martin” rose is truly fascinating.

At the time of hurricane Katrina, Peggy and her husband, M.J., lived in Phoenix, a town in Plaquemines Parish, La.

Over the years, Peggy had planted 450 roses, sharing cuttings freely with friends, family and neighbors.

Katrina left Peggy’s garden under saltwater for two weeks.

When she and M.J. returned home after the storm they found their house crushed and their shrimp boat gone.

The garden consisted of black stems and mud. Among the devastation, Peggy found a bit of green growth.

The new growth was from an 18 year old thornless rambling rose with showy pink flowers.

The plant came to Peggy as a pass-along and she never could pin down the name of it.

One of the many friends who received a cutting from Peggy’s rose was Dr. Bill Welch, a horticulturist from Texas A&M University.

He kept thinking about the rose that survived Katrina and he had the idea to raise money to restore gardens along the Gulf coast.

He took his idea to the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the “Peggy Martin” rose was born.

It is now sold in many nurseries and $1 from each plant sold goes to the Peggy Martin Survivor Rose Fund.

Peggy currently lives in Gonzales, La.

She is President of the New Orleans Old Garden Rose Society; the Old Garden Rose and Shrub Chairman for the American Rose Society, Gulf District; and has served as the Vice President and Treasurer of the Heritage Rose Foundation, an international organization dedicated to the preservation of roses worldwide.

Join the Adams County Master Gardeners on Thursday for this fabulous talk.

The program begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be hosted at the Adams County Extension Office, 75A Carthage Point Road.

For additional information, contact the Extension Office at 601-445-8201.

 

Karen O’Neal is the reporter for Adams County Master Gardeners.