The four towering Washingtonian palm trees in Plaza de San José in La Herradura have been removed and replaced by orange trees.

The statue of the Virgin that presides over the square has also received a touch of TLC, explained the First Councillor for the village, Juan José Ruiz Joya .

“After taking down the Washingtonian palms, we replaced them with orange trees, which is what used to be in the square,” he pointed out. He considered that these new trees would make the square more inviting.

He said that besides constantly leaving a mess, the palm trees had reached a height where it was no longer possible to prune them with the existing municipal equipment meaning that it had to be done manually with the inherent risk involved working at that height.

Work will include installing new street furniture such as benches and litter bins, as well as redoing the earth surrounds at the base of the trees.

(News: Herradura Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)