The story of Hurricane Katrina hits home for me because I was born and raised in New Orleans. I moved away in 1999 because...I was afraid of Hurricanes. When it comes to Katrina, I thought I knew “everything” a non-resident could know based on stories from my family and from the news–stories of struggle, loss, rebuilding, and survival. But I recently learned of a sweet gem of a survival story that reaffirms the strength of the people of Louisiana.

It’s another story about a rose. This rose became a symbol of survival and rebirth.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras, Louisiana. Buras is located in Plaquemines Parish, which is southeast of the city of New Orleans. Here, the storm surge flooded most of the parish when “peak water levels reached 20 feet above mean sea level along the hurricane protection levees.” Most loss of life was due to the flooding in Plaquemines, other neighboring parishes, and the city of New Orleans–20 feet of flood water in some places.

Peggy Martin’s home in Plaquemines Parish had been submerged under 20 feet of saltwater for two weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Mrs. Martin was an avid gardener, and when she returned home she inspected her garden and found two surviving plants. One was a rambling rose—a climbing rose started from cuttings passed down from friends and family-friends in New Orleans. This rose had clusters of pink flowers, fragrant with white highlights and golden eyes along the branches. (Why You Must Know About the Rose That Survived Katrina; The Peggy Martin rose: A delicate but tough Southern gem)

The Cape Gazette wrote, “Her beloved rose not only survived but thrived.”

Prior to the storm, Texas professor and AgriLife horticulturist, William (Bill) Welch, visited Mrs. Martin where he admired her collection of roses. One in particular caught his eye. He referred to it as the “thornless climber.” He received clippings of the rose, brought them home to Texas and planted them. They bloomed that year (2003) and, to his surprise, the next. (Aggie Horticulture)

After Katrina devastated the Louisiana Gulf Coast region, Bill heard from a mutual friend about Mrs. Martin’s heartbreaking story– losing her parents, her home and her husband’s fishing boat that helped to provide for their family. He later learned, from Peggy Martin herself, about the surviving, “thornless climber.” After consulting with Peggy, Bill came up with an idea to give back to the vast community affected by Katrina. He worked with six growers to make, what he then named, the “Peggy Martin Rose” widely available. For a short time, $1 from every sale of a Peggy Martin Rose went to a fund created to aid in garden restoration projects in New Orleans, Beaumont, TX and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. (Aggie Horticulture)

“I am fully convinced that the resilience and fortitude of our friends and neighbors in New Orleans, Beaumont and Mississippi is matched by the beauty and toughness of the "Peggy Martin" rose,” He said on the Aggie Horticulture web site. “This rose is a beautiful symbol of survival on the Gulf Coast.”

Photo Credit: “Rebecca Carlo's Garden” by Rebecca Carlo