PALMETTO, Fla. — Water is life.

And Alyssa Vinson of the Manatee County Extension Services Office can show you how to wield this power, how to conserve it, the kinds of plants to use it on and when.

What You Need To Know

  • The Manatee County Extension Service demonstrates gardens and greenhouses 

  • Employees also research new growing methods and a new hope for fighting citrus greening — a destroyer of one of Florida’s signature fruit offerings

  • The gardens and the greenhouse are open to the public, where one can see native plants in various stages of growth

“This came from our rain barrel,” said Vinson, standing over a bed of plants with a watering can. “And we are watering our newly planted, newly sprouted green beans.”

Vinson showed off the office's rain barrel setup, one of its classes for residents. The demonstration gardens are filled with living things that will thrive in your yard also, including food such as star fruit.

“It’s a great tropical fruit tree, and it’s easy to grow for the home gardener,” Vinson said.

Extension employees also research new growing methods and a new hope for fighting citrus greening — a destroyer of one of Florida’s signature fruit offerings.

“We have a fighting chance to let people grow citrus in their backyards again,” Vinson said.

The gardens and the greenhouse are open to the public, where one can see native plants in various stages of growth.

For Vinson. this work in the garden brings her back to her youth, discovering the sweetness of the natural world and passing it on.

“So this one of my favorite plants. This is a Coral Honeysuckle,” Vinson said, pointing out the plant. “You can suck the little sweet sap from the end of the flower, and my kids will come into the house with fistfuls of them, so I just love it.”