The Peggy Martin Rose: 20 years after Hurricane Katrina

By News Staff on Thursday, August 21, 2025
  • Peggy Martin stands beneath the Peggy Martin rose growing along a fence at her home in Gonzales, Louisiana. The rose was named for Martin after it survived being inundated with water for several weeks on her Plaquemines Parish property after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Photo by Eddy Perez/LSU)
    Peggy Martin stands beneath the Peggy Martin rose growing along a fence at her home in Gonzales, Louisiana. The rose was named for Martin after it survived being inundated with water for several weeks on her Plaquemines Parish property after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Photo by Eddy Perez/LSU)
    By: TOBIE BLANCHARD LSU AgCenter GONZALES — A quick glance at Peggy Martin’s Gonzales home, and it’s clear she loves plants. Paintings and prints of flowers line her walls, tablecloths pop with colorful flora, potted plants fill corners and bouquets dot shelves and end tables. Her yard is an oasis of greens, pinks, reds and purples. Growing along her garden gate is an extraordinary plan...

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