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Here are some tips for helping your hibiscus survive the hot weather.About Barry
Barry Schlueter has spent a lifetime studying, hybridizing and growing many kinds of plant material. He has published more than 500 articles about horticulture, and his background includes years as a technical writer for NASA. He inherited his love of gardening from his father, Al Schlueter, for whom he named a stunning Hibiscus bloom. Barry retired from the Clear Creek Independent School District in 2000 after 30 years of teaching mostly science to mostly gifted students. He was Science Department Head for all of that time in Clear Creek.
A master hybridizer of new flowering plants, Barry has more than 100 Hibiscus cultivars in commerce, with thousands more under evaluation. He still grows his own creations of roses, crape myrtles, daylilies, and Louisiana iris. Several of his hibiscus cultivars have been evaluated for consideration as American Hibiscus Society Hibiscus of the Year, with Double Date winning this coveted title in 1999. And in 2002 his Atlantis was the winner. Barry's Climax won Hibiscus of the Year honors in June of 2006. Another of Barry's cultivars, Remembrance, has been donated to groups for fundraising around the world since the 911 tragedy. He holds patents for about fifteen of his exotic Hibiscus at this writing.
Several years ago Barry was chosen by Hines Horticulture to breed their new exotic hibiscus. At present his creations are being sold in nearly every state except Florida, under the banner of Bahama Bay Hibiscus. To find a dealer near you that sells Bahama Bay Hibiscus, click here.
Barry is a past president of the Houston Rose Society, and for nearly twenty years he was Editor of The Petaloid for the Lone Star Chapter of AHS. He is also the editor of the Tropical Hibiscus Handbook, available from the American Hibiscus Society.