New palm trees have been planted inside one of the city's most beautiful interior spaces, the public atrium in the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center. The old palm trees that were planted during the 2002 rebuilding of the Winter Garden after the September 11 terrorist attacks, had grown to 60 feet, too large to allow for further growth in the space. About a month ago, the old trees were chopped down and converted to mulch for use in gardens at local hospitals “to honor their role in the Winter Garden that made it both a place to meet and a place to rest,” according to the complex owners, Brookfield Properties. Sixteen new trees, about 35 feet tall, have been planted to replace the overgrown palms trees. They are Washingtonia robusta trees, the same type as the previous trees,” according to Brookfield.