There’s a prize winning hibiscus creator in your World Civilizations class and it’s not the biology major or environmental studies minor.
The Rev. Robert S. Gerlich, S.J. is the founder and president of the American Hibiscus Society’s New Orleans chapter. He’s been growing, grafting and hybridizing hibiscus flowers for over a decade.
“I’ve always liked things that grow. My grandparents had farms, so we were always around growing things,” Gerlich said.
His sister took him to a Houston hibiscus show, and he was impressed with the flower diversity .
“Then I thought, well in New Orleans we have nothing except the very common varieties,” Gerlich said.
Gerlich went on to found the New Orleans Hibiscus Club, which became the New Orleans chapter of the American Hibiscus Society after gaining charter with the national organization in 1998.
Loyola’s interlibrary loan coordinator and Hibiscus Society member, Pat Doran, remembers when Father Gerlich started the club.
“He would bring us these beautiful flowers,” Doran said.
Gerlich started growing flowers on top of Thomas Hall, the former Jesuits’ residence. Debbie LaMarca, executive assistant to the vice president for Mission and Ministry, was a hibiscus club member for six years, and watered the plants on the top of the building when Gerlich had to be away.
“He is very humble. He has a great sense of humor and was a lot of fun to work with,” LaMarca said.
The university greenhouse became home to a smaller number of Gerlich’s flowers after Hurricane Katrina rendered Thomas Hall unusable.
He liked the convenient on-campus location, but, “It was hard to control the environment there,” Gerlich said. He wasn’t able to use the greenhouse this year due to an ongoing experiment.
Currently, Gerlich makes the seed for the flowers, and Dupont Nursery in Plaquemin, La., raises the hibiscus.
Gerlich won Best of Show Seedling for the flower named Sweet Pink at the June 2010 American Hibiscus Society show.
The American Hibiscus Society New Orleans chapter’s has about 55 members. Monthly meetings are held in Monroe Library the first Tuesday of every month. Doran said Gerlich usually presents a slideshow about different aspects of caring for hibiscus like how to deal with bugs and new varieties coming out. The Hibiscus Society will hold its annual show and fundraiser in May at Ursuline Academy.
Gerlich’s teaching background, “Enables him to disseminate information to the group on their level,” Doran said.
“It’s been a very nice hobby. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people through it,” Gerlich said.
The orange Love Pat and yellow Who Dat are among the favorites he’s created. Gerlich is still amazed by the flowers’ variety.
“When these plants first bloom, that’s the only one like it in the world because no two are exactly alike,” Gerlich said.
Yvonne Labbe can be reached at
