The LSU AgCenter's first superplant in Louisiana for 2023 is the Peggy Martin Rose.
Also known as the Katrina rose, most people living in Louisiana are familiar with this widespread rose. When you see rich, dark pink flowers swirling across trellises or hedges this spring, you're looking at one of the South's prettiest and easiest-to-care-for roses.
Peggy Martin is a multi-stemmed deciduous vine with a drooping habit. It has fragrant dark pink flowers and dark green leaves and no thorns. This rose is an excellent choice for vertical growth and trellis. Delicate pink flowers adorn the many hiking trails that wind through the South Bay.
There is a unique story behind this mighty rose that embodies the resilience of our state and people after Hurricane Katrina, which was flooded for two weeks.
When the devastating hurricane hit Louisiana in 2005, Peggy Martin lived in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans. Only two trees survived when Martin returned home after the storm. One of them is a rose that grows from a fly and descends on it.
Texas AgriLife teacher and gardener William Welch was Martin's guest before the storm. A three-time graduate of LSU, Welch enjoyed climbing and cutting bare thorns.
Weil propagated the plant and named it the Peggy Martin rose. A portion of the proceeds went to the restoration of historic parks destroyed by hurricanes in the southern part of the Persian Gulf.
Roses produce small flowers in early spring and bloom again in fall. Flowers repeat, but do not bloom continuously. Often planted on fences and rocks, these thornless roses can grow 6 to 15 feet tall and wide.
Roses should be planted in a sunny location for good flower production. Roses tend to be heavy feeders and can be fertilized with a rose or slow release fertilizer in the spring and fall. Liquid fertilizers can be used many times. Trees can be pruned in late winter or after flowering in spring to shape or remove dead stems and vines.
