Elementary students plant native tree in honor of Florida Arbor Day

Rachida Harper Skinner, Palm Beach Daily News
·4 min read

A dozen students from local elementary schools gathered at Park Avenue Park Thursday morning to plant an orange geiger tree in honor of Arbor Day.

In Florida, Arbor Day falls on the third Friday in January.

Second-graders from Palm Beach Public, Palm Beach Day Academy and Rosarian Academy worked alongside members of The Garden Club of Palm Beach and town officials, to plant the native tree known for its orange flowers that blossom year-round.

Students from Palm Beach Public, Palm Beach Day Academy and Rosarian Academy shovel dirt Thursday around a newly planted orange geiger at Park Avenue Park.
Students from Palm Beach Public, Palm Beach Day Academy and Rosarian Academy shovel dirt Thursday around a newly planted orange geiger at Park Avenue Park.

"I think it's important to instill in younger people in our world the fact that it's terribly important to plant trees," said Nancy Madden, the Garden Club president. "What trees do when they grow is exchange the bad things in the air for the good things, and put that out there. It's good for [the students'] future ... and they bring us the bees and the butterflies."

Suited up in yellow hard hats and overwhelming eagerness, the students took turns moving dirt with a wheelbarrow and shoveling it into a ditch where the 12-foot-tall orange geiger — know officially as Cordia sebestena — was planted at Park Avenue Park south, near the hedges the park shares with The Palm Beach Hotel Condominium.

Students shovel dirt around the newly planted orange geiger.
Students shovel dirt around the newly planted orange geiger.

Arbor Day Chairwoman Jennifer Lazzara announced, on behalf of Town Council President Pro-tem Bobbie Lindsay, that Park Avenue Park is the first to be completely pesticide-free as a part of the town's Green Initiative.

The event, which has been held mostly at Bradley Park since it began in 2000, moved this year to Park Avenue Park. Last year, it was at Phipps Ocean Park, where a 13-foot-tall kapok tree seedling was planted just east of the Little Red Schoolhouse.

This native orange geiger (Cordia sebestena) was planted at Park Avenue Park Thursday in honor of Arbor Day.
This native orange geiger (Cordia sebestena) was planted at Park Avenue Park Thursday in honor of Arbor Day.

"This is exciting for us to be adding to the park and having the students here helping us get a new tree, and making this park more beautiful than it already is," said Lazzara. The students will forever be a part of the town, and have the ability to grow up with the tree they planted, she said.

Mayor Danielle Moore recalled when her daughters were with shovels in hand, taking part in a town tree planting.

Now, she said, she is proud to see the tradition continue for the younger generation.

"So many of the younger generations don't have the opportunity to see trees and plants. If it's not something you grow up doing, it's hard for you to change your method as you age," she said. "Hopefully, this will inspire boys and girls to become interested in horticulture and agriculture. This may become a real opportunity for them in the future."

Donated to the town by Botanica Landscaping, the tree stands at 12 feet, said Richard Maxwell, the town arborist. Once fully grown, geigers can reach up to 30 feet, he said.

The Garden Club of Palm Beach President Nancy Madden speaks to students at Thursday's tree planting event.
The Garden Club of Palm Beach President Nancy Madden speaks to students at Thursday's tree planting event.

"It's a native. It will make flowers. It will help with visualization. It's all good," Maxwell said. "We are not doing this for us. We are doing this for future generations."

Paul Colby, the town's general maintenance supervisor, said this year's tree was chosen to complement the geiger tree that is across the street at Park Avenue Park north.

"We like diversity. We don't want a plant to be a monoculture in the town, so we like to be diverse," he said. "In this particular park, we wanted uniformity and to have cohesiveness at both parks."

Park Avenue Park, he said, was also chosen because there is no more space in Bradley Park.

Since the annual tradition started, nearly 30 trees have been planted at the park, Veronica Bauer, Arbor Day co-chair, said.

In 2000, Garden Club members Heather Henry, and the late Ann Blades planted the first three Arbor Day trees in Bradley Park. A Royal Poinciana was planted near the intersection of Bradley Place and Royal Poinciana Way in remembrance of Blades. who died in 2016.

"Planting trees is so important in our environment today because our resources are dwindling," Bauer said. "It instills in the children that trees are important because they provide oxygen; they provide shelter for our animals; they provide shade. They do so many things and we all do our part by planting a tree."

Trees planted throughout the years:

  • 2022: Orange Geiger tree in Park Avenue Park

  • 2021: Banyan tree in Phipps Ocean Park

  • 2020: Pigeon Plum tree

  • 2019: Guaiacum tree

  • 2018: Capirona tree

  • 2017: Strongbark tree

  • 2016: Golden Rain tree

  • 2015: Silk Floss tree

  • 2014: Orchid tree

  • 2013: Pink trumpet tree

  • 2012: No tree was planted due to bridge construction

  • 2011: Royal Poinciana tree

  • 2010: (3) Cassia trees, (1) Flame of the Forest

  • 2009: Milky Way tree

  • 2008: Silk Floss tree

  • 2007: Southern Magnolia tree

  • 2006: Pink trumpet tree

  • 2005: Golden Shower tree

  • 2004: Golden Penda tree

  • 2003: Blue Jacaranda tree

  • 2002: Desert Cassia

  • 2001: Yellow Poinciana, peregrin

  • 2000: Hong Kong orchid tree, Rosy trumpet tree, Pink trumpet tree

Rachida Skinner is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist. You can reach her at rharper@pbpostcom. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

rharper@pbpost.com

@rachida_harper

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Florida Arbor Day: Students plant native orange geiger tree