The Peggy Martin Rose is a vigorous climbing rose known for surviving Hurricane Katrina, possessing exceptional disease resistance, and producing spectacular spring blooms. She's named after Louisiana gardener Peggy Martin, whose rose endured two weeks submerged under saltwater in 2005 and came back blooming the following spring. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, she grows 15 to 20 feet and thrives with minimal care.
That's the short version. The full story is worth knowing.
See her story for yourself.
A Garden Underwater
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005, it left almost nothing untouched across Louisiana's Gulf Coast. Peggy Martin, a devoted home gardener living in Plaquemines Parish south of New Orleans, watched as floodwaters swallowed her property whole. Her home, her belongings, and the garden she had spent years tending all sat under roughly twenty feet of saltwater for close to two weeks.
When the water finally pulled back, the loss was complete. Every single plant in Peggy's garden had died. Every one except for a single climbing rose.
There it stood, canes scorched by saltwater and the ground around it ruined, yet alive. By the following spring, it had pushed up strong new growth and burst into full bloom as if nothing had happened. For Peggy Martin, who had lost so much in the storm, that rose was more than a plant. It was hope in the most literal sense: green, growing, and determined to thrive.
A Rose Gets a Name
Word of the rose that survived Katrina spread fast through the gardening world. Dr. William Welch, a respected horticulturalist at Texas A&M University and one of the leading voices on old garden roses in the American South, took notice. He and his team documented the rose, propagated it, and worked to bring it to gardeners across the country. It was given the name it deserved: Peggy Martin, honoring the woman whose garden it called home.
Beauty and Backbone
Peggy Martin puts on one of the most spectacular spring displays you will ever see in a garden. She produces enormous cascading clusters of small double blooms in a vivid, deep pink. Each flower is about 1.5 to 2 inches across, cupped, and full in that classic old rose style, arriving in such numbers that the canes nearly disappear beneath them.
Her foliage is medium green, glossy, and stays vibrant even when she is between flushes. She has a naturally arching, graceful habit that drapes beautifully over a pergola, fence, garden wall, or sturdy trellis. Mature plants reach 15 to 20 feet, so give her something solid to climb and plenty of room to grow.
Her primary flush comes in spring and it is the kind of display that brings neighbors to a stop at the edge of your yard. Hardy across USDA zones 4 through 9, she is a strong fit for a wide range of climates and feels especially at home in the heat and humidity of the South.
Disease resistance is one of her best qualities. Black spot and powdery mildew are the bane of many rose gardeners, especially in warm, wet climates, but Peggy Martin holds her own against both without much intervention on your part. She is also remarkably drought-tolerant once established. A rose that survived weeks under saltwater will persevere through nearly anything, even a prolonged dry spell in August. Plant her in a well-draining spot, water her deeply while she gets settled, and then give her the space and sun she needs to take off.
For the first time ever, the Peggy Martin Rose is available from Heirloom™. Place your order today and select a shipping date that works for you.