New Orleans hibiscus grower awarded for her plants

Sandra Barr started growing hibiscus in 1990 after failing with roses and camellias.

“I started collecting garden-variety hibiscus,” said Barr, secretary of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Hibiscus Society and a retired medical malpractice paralegal. “They were relatively easy and beautiful with varieties like ‘Jane Cowl,’ ‘Anderson Double Yellow-Red,’ ‘Crown of Bohemia,’ and ‘Elephant Ear.’ I would have to drive to Texas to get different varieties of plants.

“But I became a real snob tropical collector when I met Father (Robert) Gerlich, and he exposed me to his collection of singles and doubles,” she said. “They were like nothing I had ever seen before. Father Gerlich started the New Orleans chapter of the AHS in 1991. My late husband, Wallace, and I were charter members.

“Our first show was at Mount Carmel Academy. We set out 1,000 plants that we bought with borrowed money. At 3 in the afternoon, we were looking at a floor littered with nothing but leaves. We were sold out. Now we just keep growing every year.”