Volunteer at New Orleans park devotes 45 years to the water lilies

NEW ORLEANS (InvestigateTV) - Beneath the sweeping oaks and beside whispering lagoons in New Orleans City Park, there’s an exotic oasis with a story to tell. The Botanical Garden is a wonder on its own, and one man’s lifelong passion has helped it bloom beyond beauty.

Richard Sacher, 83, has volunteered at the New Orleans Botanical Garden for over four decades.

“1980 is when I volunteered to take care of the water lilies because the pond had been neglected. It had turned green, and nothing was in bloom. I was a hobbyist at the time. I had plenty of lilies, and I started taking care of the pond. I didn’t realize I’d still be doing it 45 years later,” said Sacher.

“But it’s always been my biggest pond. I don’t have a pond at home. So I get to engage my passion and grow lilies for people to see and enjoy here at the Botanical Gardens.”

Sacher said his passion for water lilies began at the age of 16. He grew up in New Jersey and designed a rock garden in the backyard of his childhood home.

The rock garden wasn’t enough.

“I wanted a waterfall. But at the end of the waterfall, you have to have a pond. And so I built the pond, but it was empty,” he said. “So I sent away for water lilies—mail order back then—to a nursery in North Port, Long Island, and I got two water lilies. And that’s how it all started.”

That small beginning led to a degree in horticulture, to owning a business selling water lilies, to caring for the lilies at City Park.

“Almost every morning five days a week, I’ll come out and see what needs to be done in the pond or the Conservatory,” he said. “It gives me my plant fix.”

The water lilies growing at the Botanical Garden come from all over the world. Sacher said the collection includes lilies from China, Germany, Australia and Thailand, to name a few.

“Sometimes people will send me lilies and ask me to test them in a warmer climate,” he said. “So I’ll grow it for a year and give them statistics on it, and how well it did. Things like that.” Because of his research and knowledge, Sacher is founding member of the International Water Lilies Society where he was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for his contributions both nationally and internationally.

“I’ve done some hybridizing. I’ve created about a dozen water lilies. One I named after New Orleans called the New Orleans Lady,” said Sacher. “I’ve spread hybrids around the world with friends who travel a lot. So I have hybrids in about a dozen different countries right now.”

He said it’s “really great” to work with people who are interested in plants and be able to share information about them.

Director of the Botanical Garden, Kyre Rassamni, said watching Sacher care for the lilies is watching a master at his craft.

“You see a guy in there working hard and loving what he’s doing,” she said. “It’s just encouraging and inspiring for me to see that life doesn’t end at a certain age, and you can still be young at heart well into later in your life.”

Sacher said caring for the water lilies is easy: They need sun, fertilizer and pruning once a week. He said the real joy comes from those who visit the Botanical Garden.

“Sometimes I’ll sit on this bench and I’ll just watch and see how people react. And it is very satisfying to see them look and want to touch, and get down and take photographs,” he said. “It’s really great.”

Asking for little, much like City Park itself with all its beauty. But having volunteers like Sacher only gilds the lily—adding quiet grace to something already complete.

The water lilies stay in bloom until November at the Botanical Garden in City Park.,