Sandra Barr started growing hibiscuses 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.
Sandra Barr works in her greenhouse
PHOTO BY Jeff Strout
“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. 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.
NEW ORLEANS HIBISCUS SOCIETY SHOW AND SALE
WHEN: 1-4 p.m. April 12
WHERE: Bonnabel High School cafeteria,
2801 Bruin Drive, Kenner
ADMISSION: Free and open to the public
“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.”
A hibiscus buds in Sandra Barr’s garden.
PHOTO BY Jeff Strout
At one point, Barr’s husband was vice president of the chapter, and the couple had over 300 hibiscus in their collection. Wallace Barr died in 2017. Now Sanda Barr has pared the collection down to 150, and she routinely enters her own hybridized plants in local and national competitions. Last year, she came in second for the coveted title of Seeding of the Year bestowed by the American Hibiscus Society for Muddy Voodoo, one of her seedling hybrids.
Hibiscus from Sandra Barr’s garden
PHOTO BY Jeff Strout
In 2025, the New Orleans Chapter of the National Hibiscus Society hosted the American Hibiscus Society for its annual convention.
United by the love of hibiscus
The local chapter now stands at 93 members, ranging in age from teens to retirees, who meet monthly on a Sunday at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 Napoleon Ave., in Metairie. Annual dues are $35, with $25 of that going directly to the national chapter. Each meeting includes lunch, a hibiscus raffle, opportunities to buy from members to support the chapter, speakers and expert advice.
“We have a summer ice cream social and a Christmas party,” said Barr, who lives in Metairie. “Members get a lot for their annual $35 fee, but some still join just to be able to go to the annual one-day open house at Cajun Hibiscus that is only open to members.”
Hibiscus from Sandra Barr’s garden
PHOTO BY Jeff Strout
For the local chapter’s upcoming annual Hibiscus Show and Sale on April 12, anyone — member or not — can enter a bloom in the competition from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. for consideration in one of the four Best of Show categories.
The New Orleans Hibiscus Society’s show is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Bonnabel High School, 2801 Bruin Drive, in Kenner. There will be ample free parking. The bloom exhibit and plant sale will be held in the easily accessible cafeteria.
A busy weekend
Hibiscus from Sandra Barr’s garden
PHOTO BY Jeff Strout
The weekend of the sale is a busy one.
Bloom entries are judged on Sunday morning and placed on display, ready when the public enters on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Several experts in hibiscus care and propagation will be on hand to answer questions. Dupont Nursery in Plaquemine will supply more than 1,200 of its famous, robust and colorful Cajun Hibiscus plants for sale in 1-gallon pots, 10-inch pots and hanging baskets.
Members eager to take part
“The day before the event, our members come to the venue to help set up for the show and receive the Dupont Nursery 18-wheeler containing 1,200 or more plants for the sale,” Barr said. “Members have first dibs on purchasing plants ahead of Sunday’s crowd.”
Hibiscus from Sandra Barr’s garden
PHOTO BY Jeff Strout
Dupont’s special granular, time-release fertilizer, specifically formulated for hibiscus plants, will also be for sale, as will plastic 10-inch terra cotta-colored pots ideal for transplanting new one-gallon specimens.
In addition to ribbons for their categories, this year’s overall Best of Show winners will receive sculptural hibiscus trophies designed and crafted by celebrated artist Louis Colmenares.
“But remember,” Bar advised, “it is all about the day. I could have the most magnificent seedling, but if it doesn’t bloom on the day of the show, no one will know about it. A lot of it is chance.”
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