
Georgia Bost is one very curious woman. Her curiosity has
lead her to development a whole new selection of North American
hybrid hibiscus. North American Hibiscus? Yes,
we do have hibiscus that are native to our continent. They
are found along wetlands and waterways from Michigan to
Texas, eastward to Florida, and north to Long Island. There
are numerous species, with accompanying sub-species growing
along interstate highway drainage areas, river floodplains
and the littoral zones of coastlines. Ms. Bost's contribution
was her recognition of their natural beauty, their hardiness
and their potential industrial applications. She is an ethnobotanist/
wetlands biologist, with multiple upper level degrees from Rice University. Beginning in the mid eighties,
her curiosity, and her connections with other valued botanist
friends, led her to collect as many different wild species
as she could, and learn the growth habit and needs of the
plants.
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