Photo courtesy Sara Salgado MacDonald.
From backyard gardens to countywide conservation, Sara Salgado MacDonald is helping St. Lucie County residents grow greener, healthier landscapes.
As an urban horticulture Extension agent with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), she leads the Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM and Master Gardener Volunteer Program for UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County. Through workshops, site visits, webinars and community events, she connects residents with practical tools to create resilient, eco-friendly beautiful spaces. She also helps people who’ve dreamed of having a green thumb obtain that goal.
“What excites me most is getting to work directly with people who want to make a difference in their yards, neighborhoods and communities,” she said. “Every question I get is a chance to share knowledge that can reduce pesticide or fertilizer use, conserve water or create pollinator habitats.”
Many of her attendees are experiencing gardening or horticulture for the first time, and it’s incredibly rewarding for her to see residents light up when they realize that small steps in their own gardens add up to healthier ecosystems for everyone.
Salgado MacDonald leads programs with wide-reaching benefits. The Master Gardener Volunteer Program, for example, trains volunteers to share science-based gardening information through school programs, youth events, educational booths and community gardens. Currently, Master Gardener Volunteers are helping teach vegetable gardening at Sun Grove Montessori School in Fort Pierce.
Residents also seek her master gardeners for Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ practices that conserve water, reduce fertilizer usage and support pollinators.
“I often get asked which plants thrive in our sandy soils, how to manage pests without harming pollinators and what to do about invasive plants taking over yards,” she said. “People also want to know how to attract butterflies, start vegetable gardens or create water-wise landscapes that still look beautiful.”
This fall, Salgado MacDonald is offering several opportunities for the public to learn and get hands-on experience on a variety of horticulture and environmental topics. Watch for these and other initiatives by subscribing to her blog:
- Insect Explorers: What’s That Bug? on Oct. 11 at 11:30 a.m. during the Ag-Xtension Fall Fest — a hands-on insect identification workshop with microscopes and live specimens.
- Vegetable Gardening 101 Workshop in several library branches.
- Herb Gardening Workshop at Morningside Branch Library.
- Plagas Comunes del Jardín: Identificación y Manejo Natural, a Spanish-language online class on garden pests and natural management.
Green Talks, her latest nature-focused initiative, is a popular, monthly speaker series featuring guest experts on sustainability and urban nature. Early topics have included “Milkweeds are Invasive – Now What?” with upcoming sessions such as “Stop Fruit Tree Diseases Before They Start!” and “Retention Ponds in Action: From Flood Control to Education.”
Salgado MacDonald brings international recognition to her role.
In 2023, she received the Global Early Career Award from the International Organization for Biological Control and the Robert O’Neil Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Student in Biological Control 2023 from the International Organization for Biological Control – Nearctic Regional Section for her research using a tiny wasp to curb the spread of the invasive earleaf acacia trees in Florida.
Photo by Carey Minteer
“Invasive plant species like earleaf acacia can alter landscapes and reduce the diversity of native plants and animals,” she explained. “By researching safe, science-based solutions such as classical biological control, we can protect Florida’s natural habitats and the vital services they provide — like clean water, healthy soils and pollinator resources.”
Her passion for horticulture and entomology traces back to her childhood in Ecuador.
“Growing up in the rainforest, I was surrounded by incredible biodiversity — towering trees, colorful plants and countless insects. Exploring this vibrant world sparked my curiosity about species interactions and the importance of healthy ecosystems,” she said.
That curiosity drives her work in St. Lucie County today, where she encourages residents to see their own backyards as part of a bigger environmental picture.
“My goal is to empower residents to see themselves as stewards of the environment,” she said. “Every choice we make in our yards, from selecting plants to managing water, can have a lasting impact. I hope to inspire our community to create landscapes that are not only beautiful but also sustainable — supporting pollinators, conserving water and protecting natural resources so future generations can enjoy thriving, healthy ecosystems.”
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By Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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