Shortly after the initial La Jolla Park subdivision was laid out in 1887, La Jolla fathers Frank Botsford and George Heald decided their barren village lots would sell much better if they were enhanced with tree-lined streets. They accomplished a landscaping feat for that time by setting out 2,000 trees — yes, 2,000! In “La Jolla Year by Year,” the first local history book, Howard Randolph recorded the planting of 1,000 palms and another 1,000 cedar, eucalyptus and other tree varietals. A double line of palms went all the way down Prospect Street. Girard Avenue and Herschel Avenue were lined with eucalyptus trees. The landmark line of Scripps Park palms was planted along with cedars. Holes were dug for pine trees in a little round circle that was then called “hilltop,” which is now known as Park Row park. Many of Botsford’s and Heald’s trees died shortly after they were planted because La Jolla’s water supply was too scarce to give them proper care. But the eucalyptus trees thrived to the point that, in the early 20th century, Herschel Avenue had a bower rivaling the iconic oak overhangs of the South. Today, a solitary eucalyptus remains on Herschel from the original planting more than 100 years ago. Several eucalyptus trees also remain on Girard from that time, although most have either been removed or have fallen over. Similar fates have affected trees from the early times on Ivanhoe, Wall and Silverado streets. Although an argument could be made that La Jolla would have been a more charming place with ocean breezes whispering through the old eucalyptus trees, debate also arises about the practicality of planting the trees to begin with. Eucalyptus trees are notorious for root rot, disease and other hazardous conditions. Several of the old eucalyptus trees have fallen over in recent years, damaging cars parked beneath them, including one in front of the post office on Wall Street. Nonetheless, a few magnificent eucalyptus from the original planting in the La Jolla Park subdivision remain: two in the 7800 block of Ivanhoe on opposite sides of the street and several on Girard near Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. The historic pines and palms from the early plantings have generally fared much better. The grand line of Washington palms along Coast Boulevard that delineates Scripps Park remains in apparent good health, and a recent donation to the city of San Diego has made it possible for a new line of palms to replace the old ones when they need to be removed. A star pine was added to the park in 1936, on what would have been Ellen Browning Scripps’ birthday. The palms and the pine were planted largely through the efforts of Walter Lieber, a La Jolla resident from his arrival in1904 through his death in 1945. Lieber, descending from a wealthy family in Philadelphia, contributed much to the beautification and landscaping of La Jolla in the early years. When he first arrived here in 1904, he noted that La Jolla was “a place of tents and tent floors and piles of manure, tins and bottles.” He became passionate about planting trees and cleaning things up. A plaque on the flagpole in Park Row park, near the heart of the Village, commemorates his efforts, and today the wind still whistles peacefully through the one of the pines he planted there. — Carol Olten is the historian at the La Jolla Historical Society.