- February 22, 2025
Members of the Garden Club at Palm Coast and city employees pose with the newly planted bald cypress tree at City Hall. Photo by Sierra Williams
Garden clubs across the state of Florida planted trees on Jan. 19 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Federation of Garden Clubs. Photo by Sierra Williams
Garden Club of Palm Coast members Jane Villa-Lobos and President Denise Garcia with Palm Coast's Chief Sustainability Officer Maeven Rogers dig mulch onto the Florida Arbor Day tree. Photo by Sierra Williams
Garden Club of Palm Coast members Jane Villa-Lobos, Katheleen Fuss and President Denise Garcia with Palm Coast's Chief Sustainability Officer Maeven Rogers, who read a proclamation on behalf of the mayor at the tree planting ceremony. Photo by Sierra Williams
Members of Palm Coast's Garden Club at the Florida Arbor Day tree planting at City Hall. Photo by Sierra Williams
The Garden Club's Arbor Day Chairperson Kathleen Fuss speaks at the tree planting ceremony. Photo by Sierra Williams
Garden Club President Denise Garcia at the Florida Arbor Day tree planting at City Hall. Photo by Sierra Williams
Palm Coast's Chief Sustainability Officer Maeven Rogers read a proclamation for the tree planting ceremony on behalf of the city's mayor. Photo by Sierra Williams
The Garden Club gave away seedlings of the Florida-native tree, wax myrtle trees, to attendees at the tree planting. Photo by Sierra Williams
The plaque at the bottom of the new tree planted for the Federation of Garden Clubs's 100th anniversary. Photo by Sierra Williams
Angela Hall picks out her free wax myrtle seedlings from the Florida Arbor Day tree planting. Photo by Sierra Williams
Zenaide Melo attended the Florida Arbor Day tree planting and picked out her free wax myrtle seedlings. Photo by Sierra Williams
Garden Club of Palm Coast members Jane Villa-Lobos and Kathleen Fuss spread mulch over the base of the Florida Arbor Day tree planted at City Hall. Photo by Sierra Williams
The Garden Club at Palm Coast teamed up with the city to plant a new bald cypress tree on Jan. 19 in honor of Florida Arbor Day and the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs's 100th anniversary.
Over 150 garden clubs across the state planted trees at 11 a.m. in honor of the Federation's anniversary, club President Denise Garcia said. Because of the projected overcast weather, the city of Palm Coast and the Garden Club planted its tree a few days early and celebrated the holiday and anniversary by spreading mulch around the base of the new tree instead.
The club also handed out free wax myrtle seedlings to attendees in celebration of Arbor Day.
"Let's plant these all over Palm Coast, and let's let everyone know where they came from," Garcia said.
The new cypress was planted behind City Hall, along the north end of the walking path at Central Park in Town Center.
The new tree was purchased from Southern Horticulture in St. Augustine and stands between 12 and 14 feet tall. Kathleen Fuss, Arbor Day chairperson for the Garden Club, said the bald cypress can grow up to 70 feet tall and have a 40-foot canopy.
"So it's going to be a beautiful, beautiful specimen facing City Hall,” she said.
Arbor Day was established as a holiday to celebrate trees and their importance to the environment. Florida was one of the first states to establish an Arbor Day holiday, according to the Florida Wildlife Federation's website.
The state celebrates Arbor Day on the third Friday of January, while the national Arbor Day is the last Friday of April, and the city's Arbor Day holiday is the first Saturday of May.
Palm Coast will host its Arbor Day — with its signature butterfly release — on May 4 this year, Palm Coast's Urban Forrester Carol Mini said.
Being part of planting trees encourages a sense of community, she said.
“Maybe in 10 years, you drive by and you look and you say, 'oh my gosh, look at how that tree has grown. I was a part of that,'” Mini said.
Palm Coast Chief Sustainability Officer Maeven Rogers read a proclamation on behalf of the city honoring the Federation's 100th anniversary and Florida Arbor Day at the ceremony. She said the trees she grew up with in her back yard in West Virginia — a walnut tree and a cherry tree — provided an “essential framework” for her future in environmental work.
“What we plant in our yards is vital for tomorrow,” Rogers said. “Not just for us, but for the future of tomorrow, for the that nest here, for the habitat that needs this as a food source and protection.”
