Peggy Martin from New Orleans will be our speaker for the January 26 meeting. Members of the DRS and CCRS are invited to join us to hear her speak. Her topic will be “The ‘Peggy Martin’ Rose, a story of survival.”
The ‘Peggy Martin’ rose is a rose that was growing in her (very extensive) garden in Plaquemines Parish (south of New Orleans, almost right at the Gulf) before
Hurricane Katrina. The storm surge left 20 feet of watertrapped by levees around Peggy’s house and the house of her parents, who lived next door. Sadly, her parents died in the storm. The garden was underwater for two or three weeks after the storm. In the first pictures taken, you can see the high-water mark on the roof of the houses, while the water was still very deep, almost up to the roof, in the garden.
After all the water went away, there was nothing at all alive in the garden, with the exception of this rose. Miraculously it lived through all of that salt and chemical-infused water! Dr. Welch at Texas A&M had the idea of naming the rose after Peggy. (It was previously called the ‘Louisiana Rambler’) He further proposed that nurseries who sell this rose donate a portion of the proceeds to a fund to restore gardens on the Gulf Coast. And that is what was done.
It is a great story, very inspiring, and Peggy tells it well. It is a great example of the renewal that our gardens bring to us.
Event: Gardening with Roses Seminars: Join the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Department for a free series of five classes that will teach you
how to incorporate roses into your landscape. An opportunity
to participate in a hands-on pruning clinic will wrap up
the series. So whether you are a rose enthusiast or just wanting
to improve your gardening skills, this series of classes
will be of interest. Co-sponsored by the Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation
Department, Dallas Rose Society and the Dallas Area Heritage
Rose Society.
Resource: For more information contact
972-919-2625 or pam.smith@farmersbranch.info.
To register: contact the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center 972-247-4607