Page 66 - April 2015 Life In Naples Magazine

heart to heart
green thumbs
good hearts
by Karen Coney Coplin
M arch may have St. Patrick’s Day, but springtime in April
offers two opportunities to celebrate “greenery” - Earth
Day on April 22 and Arbor Day on April 24. The latter,
a holiday since 1872, traditionally encourages planting of trees;
the former might be celebrated in a similar fashion or in other
ways of demonstrating environmental awareness, like clearing the
waterways of trash.
“When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty
years ago. When is the second best time? Today.”
-Chinese proverb
The Naples Botanical Garden has taken an active role, year
round, with the preservation of unique and significant trees. The
“Legacy Tree” program is designed to save trees which otherwise
will be lost to site-clearing and demolition for the construction of
new homes and businesses.
Notable palms and other trees in the community can put their
roots down, anew, at the Naples Botanical Garden - provided that a
homeowner or “other who is aware of trees that may have historical
significance or are special in some other way, and, are in danger of
removal,” gets in touch with the Naples Botanical Garden. This way,
the tree may be evaluated for relocation. Liz Chehayl, the Curator
of Collections, can be reached for this purpose at LChehayl@
Naplesgarden.org, or at 239.643.7275.
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PHYLLOCARPUS SEPTENTRIONALIS
The Garden’s new Chabraja Visitors’ Center is flanked with
a tree canopy that was the bequest of long-time Garden patrons
and dedicated tree collectors. This, and the Leopard Trees at the
Garden’s Performance Lawn, will live on alongside many colorful
plantings such as the Cardinal Tree or Fairchild’s Folly, all legacies
to be appreciated by many generations of Garden visitors.
The Garden has a special interest in Sterculia species as well as
Albizia niopoides, formerly known as Caribea, as future legacy trees;
however, as Ms. Chehaly points out, “sometimes there are many
[different species] of trees on a single lot, and we would certainly
like to hear about those situations too.”
Brian Galligan, the Garden’s Chief Horticulturist, pointed out
that even if a tree does not qualify as a “Legacy Tree,” it can be
simple and cost effective to relocate trees from their present location
within the boundaries of a lot. This also can be safer than replacing
trees with “new” specimens which may be root bound from being
potted for a long time. “A tree’s life span will exceed ours in most
cases,” he stated, suggesting that the relocation of mature specimens
within a lot makes sense from a time standpoint (the tree is already
mature) and, takes home safety into account (root systems for well-
developed trees provide needed support during windstorms). Plus,
an existing tree has already proven its suitability to an existing
location i.e., the lot which otherwise would be clear cut.
The Naples Botanical Garden’s hard work runs the gamut of
saving trees with character, to building character. School kids can
Life in Naples | April 2015