In my garden, you will find a lot (A LOT) of roses and a good many of them are there because of the people and places they represent. I have so many people in my life because of roses and during COVID-19 they have become even more precious.
One of those precious combinations of rose and friend is Peggy Martin – the lady and her rose.
THE LADY
If you don’t know Peggy’s story you can find it HERE. I had the pleasure of interviewing her and visiting her in her home. When you meet someone online before you meet them in person, they could be very different than what you expect. Peggy was just as I pictured her… beautiful, sweet, sassy and southern. We had the best times over those 4 days. We ate great food. We visited gardens. We toured homes. I met so many new rose friends and we shared story after story. One such story may or may not have been wrapped around the virtues of red lipstick. And, did I mention shrimp.
THE ROSE
This rose is mostly a one-time bloomer and the only origin it has is Peggy’s garden that was wiped out during Hurricane Katrina (except for this rose).
I now have 4 Peggy Martin Roses and she can cover a trellis like no other. Two of my plants started out as very small plants and within 3 years they were on to arbor domination. My 3rd Peggy Martin is starting to climb over one of my arbors alongside New Dawn. My 4th Peggy Martin is still small as it was started from a cutting last summer. She is beginning to show some vigor and will have a prominent place near my potting bench in my new potting area.
I cannot tell you the pleasure this rose brings me. As a reminder of my friend and that just when it looks like all is “lost’, “survival” is just getting started and restoration and miracles are just around the corner.
It reminds me of my beautiful friend in Louisiana and all that she endured and all that she is today.
Last year during a garden party for the Indianapolis Rose Society, the Peggy Martin Rose was the spot for “prom” pictures.
BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK
On the large arbor this week, Peggy and Francis E. Lester are magic together…
Peggy Martin #1…
Peggy Martin #2 grows happily with Jasmina.
If you would like to have a Peggy Martin Rose of your own, check with Chamblee Roses or Antique Rose Emporium.
It is getting late in the season for finding specific roses and for shipping around the country in the heat, but it might be a good time to get on a waiting list for next spring!
Veggies…
There is a mountain of mulch on the driveway. Funny thing, the herb garden was the first garden “room” I started some 30 years and ago and it was the first garden room to get fresh mulch this week. It is still such a special place for me.
Seriously, this is the latest I have ever put down mulch, but hey the weather has not been all that accomodating! Freezes, rain, cold, and now heat. I can tell you the weeds have been very happy to take the place of the mulch! 😏
We have peas … a few … now that we are having so much heat, I better hurry and pick them as they might get “hot and fussy” and not produce much longer. They too were planted late and haven’t had much time to reach their potential.
WEATHER
As I edit this post I can tell you that it is HOT here but that is nothing compared to what the weather app is telling me — tropical storm Cristobal is causing evacuations in Louisana and along the gulf. Praying all my friends are safe and that Cristobal does not reach its potential!
Friends, thanks so much for stopping by. Stay safe, be well and til next thyme, enjoy your time in the garden! 😘
I really enjoyed seeing your roses in bloom and reading about Peggy Martin and seeing her beautiful rose. I truly hope that she took lots of pictures of her roses and her garden before Katrina came in to Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, where Peggy lives. Did she also lose both of her parents during Katrina? I remember seeing people on top of their homes and buildings from all of the water waiting to get rescued. My Oh My red rose has been in full bloom, and the color, texture, and blooms are fabulous! I recently read that the Victor Hugo red rose is the most beautiful rose in the world. But my Oh My rose is just as beautiful in my opinion. One of his famous quotes is: “Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” The label does not have a comma between Oh and My, but I think there should be one (Oh, My!). That is the feeling I get when I see those beautiful red roses. What a beauty! All of my roses have done remarkably well this spring, and they keep me busy. My pink Apple Blossom rose is so sweet. I saw my first Japanese Beetle today, so I need to get some traps hung. And we have bluebirds, and we are hoping that we will have some baby chicks sometime soon. Keeping a watch on Cristobal as we are located near all kinds of water in VA. We are not too far from Williamsburg, VA, which we love. Everything is shut down there due to the Covid-19 virus. Virginia is now entering Phase 2 as of today, 06-05-2020. Thank you for your Bloom Thyme Friday on Roses and Friends, Part 01.
Your garden sounds lovely! I don’t have OH MY but I am glad it has been such a good rose for you. I don’t think there has ever been a better “bird” season for us. We have watched 5 families of birds build nests and raise their young! Such a fun and fascinating process. Two of these families were doves. We currently have bluebirds checking out a new birdhouse Mr. G just put up!
Oh My is a catchphrase from George Takei of Star Trek, so there is NO comma between Oh and My.
Are Peggy Martin’s steps for starting a rose listed somewhere else? I’d love to have them!
Hello Jill, Nice to meet you. The steps I used for starting my “youngest” Peggy Martin rose can be found here. https://wp.me/P1kwej-4Ro Best of luck!
Looking magnificent, Teresa, such beautiful, lush and healthy foliage on your roses, and love your vegie patch too!
We are picking our peas today and it is so fun (and delish) to “grow your own.”
It is nice that the roses continue to bloom. Mine were excellent in their first phase, but are not starting their next phase yet! They are quite healthy, but without color.
Some of my old roses are fading as we had a rain storm yesterday. But, they bring so much joy in their coming and knowing they will come again.
Lovely story and a lovely garden!
Garden stories are the best.
Yes, they do make for beautiful stories!
Potatoes like a slightly acidic soil (5.8-5.6 pH). If you did not plant them deep, you must “hill” up the stems with straw or leaves. Use fertilizer or composted manure to fertilize them. You may have to “hill” up the stems a couple of times as they grow an extra 8 inches. I have only grown sweet potatoes in a large container. Such fun and a pretty vine with heart-shaped leaves. Have you ever had sweet potato pie? Delicious!