Plant A Tree, Make a Difference
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Seagrape. Image Credit: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day by planting a tree. It’s a great feeling to make the community a better place to live. This is the City of Titusville Residential Tree Giveaway. Trees are free but call first.
It’s part of the multi-year county-wide collaboration to plant 1,000 trees on the Space Coast.
The City of Titusville will be giving away 50 Florida-native trees. And all you have to do to pick up a FREE tree is to visit the Titusville Tree Farm this Thursday, April 14th and next Tuesday, April 19th between 9 am and 12 pm. Before you go, please call 321-567-3779 to make sure a tree will be waiting for you and to confirm a time to get your tree.
You can take your pick of either a Seagrape tree or Silver Buttonwood tree, while supplies last.
The City of Titusville wants to thank the program sponsor – the Florida Forest Service – as well as the City of Cocoa Beach and the Titusville Tree Farm for coordinating this effort.
And now you may thank us for avoiding any “tree” puns in the writing of this post, and not barking up the wrong tree. Whoops, we almost made it.
Here’s some information on the available FREE trees:
Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera)
The Seagrape takes its common name from its coastal location and its clusters of red, grape-like fruits. The Seagrape is versatile and can be grown as either a shrub or a tree, depending on its planting site and pruning. A Mature Seagrape can grow to 35 – 50 ft. high and 20-30 ft. across. The flowers of this Florida Native tree usually bloom from spring to early summer and are known for attracting native pollinators. This tree is a great fit for a Florida garden. It grows in full sun or partial shade and is drought-tolerant once established. It’s salt tolerance makes it a Florida-Friendly choice for beachfront homes. The tree requires very little maintenance beyond pruning to the desired shape. However, please note that the large, round, evergreen leaves do not respond well to mechanical shearing and should be pruned by hand.
PLANTING: Plant the Seagrape in sandy, well-drained soil, preferably in full sun. The young plant should be well-watered until it’s established.
Source: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/trees/sea-grape.html
Silver Buttonwood (CONOCARPUS ERECTUS VAR. SERICEUS)
The Silver Buttonwood is another Florida Native species that will make a great addition to your Florida garden. The Buttonwood is a tough species known for tolerating conditions from seaside planting to parking lots. The tree is highly tolerant of full sun, sandy soils, and salty water. A mature Buttonwood can grow to 40 ft. high and have a 20 ft. spread. However, it is very common for this Florida Native to grow between 15 to 30 ft. tall. Known for it’s beautiful silvery leaves, this low branching, multi-trunked evergreen is the perfect fit for a low maintenance garden or street tree. The tree’s fruit are year-round and do not attract wildlife nor are they known for causing a litter program.
PLANTING: Plant the Silver Buttonwood is full sun to partial shade, in well-drained soil. Once established, the Silver Buttonwood is known for being drought-tolerant.
Source: City of Titusville – titusville.com