Meet Peggy!

When we returned from our trip last week, we were greeted by Peggy Martin. She is a gorgeous old rose with a very interesting story. Let me share it briefly; if you want more details, there is a Peggy Martin website.

Peggy Martin, a New Orleans’ gardener and member of the Old Garden Rose Society had to evacuate her home during Hurricane Katrina. When she and her husband were allowed to return they found everything, including her garden, had been under 20 feet of salt water for two weeks. The only thing living was the old pink rose.  Dr. William Welch, a horticulturist at Texas A & M, had taken cuttings on an earlier visit. From these he propagated more roses and named the rose Peggy Martin.  There is a list of suppliers on the website.

From our back porch.

I planted one on each side of the arbor in 2007. Big mistake as it is very aggressive and must be pruned several times a year. One plant would have been plenty! It is supposed to be a re-bloomer but so far, mine blooms profusely in May and only a few blooms in the fall. She is a show-stopper enticing visitors to our home every spring. Some we know, others just heard about her and also heard we are quite open to folks dropping by. 

Yep, you see bicycling shorts hanging on the clothes line.