Tree of the Year Submissions

Welcome

Thank you to all the submitters! Staff will post the submissions on this page for the community to see. Please note as outlined in the contest that some of the submissions have been edited for clarity.

Click here to learn more about the Tree of the Year contest and to nominate a tree.

All Submissions

In this section

Anne Boynton-Trigg - Rain and Glory

Location: Riviera Dr. and Suarez St.

Reason for Nomination: Although battered by the recent rain, this tree is glorious in its structure and bloom.

A large Royal Ponciana tree with red flowers stands on a rainy day with fallen petals

A large Royal Ponciana tree with red flowers stands on a rainy day

Sherry Celesia - Rainbow

Location: Cortez and SW 15th Street

Species: Rainbow Eucalyptus

Reason for Nomination: I never knew such a tree existed until I moved here! Its beauty is so special. It looks like an artist used chalk paints to create it! When my friends and family come to visit we always go to this tree and everyone stares in awe. While I love the mighty banyan trees, this is my new favorite!

A large tree with red, yellow, and green bark stands in front of a sidewalk with trees and blue sky in the background

Charles "Rick" Carr - Colors and Sabicu

Location: 3 way Intersection; Campo Sano Avenue at Campo Sano Ct. ("east side")

Tree Species: Lysiloma sabicu

Reason for Nomination: Its leaves change, and it creates a show of color. Being localized in the Caribbean Basin makes it a "near native".

A Sabicu tree with orange leaves in front of larger green leave trees and blue sky

Sabicu tree with orange leaves with larger green trees and blue sky in the back.

Claudia Espinoza - The Big Timer

Location: Sunset Drive

Reason for Nomination: This Banyan was love at first sight. [When I was younger] I would climb a huge banyan and swing off its vines with my brother and neighbors. My mom called it the Big Timer. We eventually introduced it to my own children. The Banyan roots grow from its branches so it’s always growing outwards as our seeds should.

POV looking up at a Banyan Tree with wrapping branches

Banyan Tree with wrapping branches and a woman wearing black stands next to it

Dariel Gonzalez - Merrick Shack

Location: Castile Ave. and S Greenway Dr.

Reason for Nomination: The tree has surrounded an original wooden beam of the Merrick shack, their first home when they moved down from Duxbury Mass. The shack was moved to that spot and used as an office for Merrick’s plantation.

A large banyan tree stands in a patch of grass. A green sign is next to it.

The Oak and the New

Tree Species
Live oak
Location
Santillane Ave. & Galiano St.
Reason for Nomination
Easy and beautiful integration between a old tree and a new, not luxurious, building.

A large oak tree stands in front of a new building with blue sky in the background

Clara Ferreira - The Warrior on Santander Street

Location: 341 Santander Street

Tree Species: Live Oak

Reason for Nomination: This tree has stood here long before any numbered house existed, as evidenced by the attached 1935 photograph of the former Hotel San Sebastian. It weathered the 1926 hurricane as a young tree and may now be the last survivor of the original grove on the east side of Le Jeune Road. This remarkable tree has withstood fierce storms, challenging neighbors, and even severe damage inflicted on its roots by City Public Works. Despite these hardships, it stands majestically, albeit slightly inclined due to arbitrary cuts. For all these reasons, we are nominating this symbol of strength and endurance.

Aerial shot of a giant green Oak tree's branches reaching out unto a blue sky with

Black and white photo of an aerial view of the city with a yellow highlight encircling a tree in the distance

Flamboyant

Location: William H Kerdyk Jr. and Family Park 6611 Yumuri Street

Tree Species: Delonix Regia (Royal Poinciana)

Reason for Nomination: This beautiful Royal Poinciana, amidst others at William H Kerdyk and Family Park, is resplendent with a canopy of orange-red flowers. Also known as Flamboyant, it is easy to see how fitting a name that is for this brilliant and majestic tree. What a spectacle to enjoy while walking the park or shopping nearby!

A large Royal Ponciana in bloom with orange flowers stands on a green space with a large apartment complex and sunny day as backdrop

Very Demure

Location: William H Kerdyk Jr. and Family Park 6611 Yumuri Street

Tree Species: Prunus Cerasus Serrulata (East Asian Cherry)

Reason for Nomination: This Cherry Blossom tree in full bloom at the intersection of Yumuri Street and San Remo Avenue is absolutely stunning. It only blooms for a few short weeks in the springtime. Dwelling alone and demure in its urban setting, it is a sight to behold in its glorious raiment.