PUNTA GORDA — Gilchrist Park was blooming Saturday, as hundreds of plant lovers roamed the rows of potted plants at the 22nd annual Hibiscus Festival, held in Punta Gorda.
Representatives from dozens of nurseries from around the region set up tables and tents in the park on Friday evening as music played on the Hibiscus Stage and food vendors pulled into place — all in preparation for the community’s annual celebration of the “City of Hibiscus,” Punta Gorda’s nickname for more than a century.
Organized by the Hibiscus Committee for the benefit of The Charlotte County Historical Society, the event featured live music, the Lil’ Miss Hibiscus Pageant, and lots of hibiscus and other plants for sale…