Forming a new alliance rooted in sustainability, Immokalee-based Lipman Family Farms announced it has partnered with Naples Botanical Garden, donating use of a 5-acre greenhouse to be used as a horticultural production facility. The facility expansion will allow the Naples Botanical Garden to venture into new restoration projects, community plantings and conservation efforts that were previously not possible. “While most people are focused on the ecological disasters that are ever too prevalent these days, the Garden is using everything in its power to make a difference,” said Lipman Director of Community Relations Jaime Weisinger, who is also a member of the Garden’s board of directors. “We felt it was important to combine our 60-plus years of local farming experience with the Garden’s research into sustainable landscapes and allow them to scale up through some of our facilities to help sustain Southwest Florida for generations.” The Garden will optimize the state-of-the-art greenhouse to back up important collections, such as the National Plumeria Collection, and to test a variety of plants, including finger limes. Through these efforts, Garden experts hope to influence Southwest Florida landscapes by studying and recommending trees, shrubs, ground covers and other plants that can withstand rising temperatures, strengthening storms and saltwater intrusion.