But two lemon-scented gums on a roundabout at the northern end of Swanston Street in Carlton, are Anna Foley's favourites: the National Trust's acting conservation manager used to live on campus at Melbourne University, and passed them every day.

"They've been a constant landmark in my adult life," she says. "Every time I pass them now, I think back to those times and admire their enormous canopy and the way their branches touch the ground."

The trees are among nine finalists in the running for the title of  Victorian Tree of the Year – set up by the National Trust, on the back of a highly successful competition run in 15 European countries (a Hungarian tree won this year).

The trust selected the trees this time but hopes the competition encourages more Victorians to nominate their favourite to its 20,000-strong Register of Significant Trees.

This year's finalists - which you can vote for here - include:

Queensland Kauri – Burnley Gardens, Richmond

Melbourne University horticulture students graduate with this Queensland Kauri towering over their Burnley Campus in Richmond. A dominant feature in the landscape – most noticeable when travelling along Yarra Boulevard – the tree is one of the largest in cultivation in Victoria.

Blue Atlas Cedar, Wombat Hill Botanic Garden, Daylesford

This Blue Atlas Cedar is located in Daylesford's Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and is a species from the alpine slopes of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and whenever Daylesford is dusted with snow, it looks right at home.

English Oak, Former Mayday Hills Hospital, Beechworth

Within the grounds of the Former Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth is one of four English Oaks planted alongside a historic "Ha Ha" wall. It is more than 100 years old and sits among one of the state's best collections of heritage trees.

Snow Gum, Summit Track, Mount Stirling

An icon of Mount Stirling, this tree is estimated at more than 500 years old, and is the only tree on the Mount Stirling summit area.

Golden Elm, Punt Road & Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra

Possibly Melbourne's most-passed tree thanks to its location at the intersection of Punt Road and Alexandra Avenue, by the Yarra River, this elm received a huge number of messages when Melbourne City Council allocated it an e-mail address in 2013.

Japanese Maple, The Crescent, Sassafras

This Japanese Maple sits in the front garden of a home in Sassafras, and is thought to have been planted when the house was built in the mid-1930s. Its autumnal colours are a particularly popular photo opportunity for tourists.

Mountain Ash, Toolangi

This Mountain Ash, known as the 'Kalatha Giant', is thought to be at least 400 years old, and is hollow all the way up its trunk to where the top is broken off. But the picturesque tree is in good health for its age.

Lemon-scented Gums, Swanston Street roundabout, Carlton

The pair of lemon-scented gums on the Swanston Street roundabout in Carlton are a local landmark, and mirror several other similar species of the tree planted during Burnley Griffin's time working on Newman College.

Moreton Bay Fig, Werribee Park

This Moreton Bay Fig is prominent within Werribee Park Mansion, and has grown since it was first classified significant in 1985.

And while the National Trust's celebration of trees gets underway, it has come too late for a 94-year-old lemon-scented gum in Flemington Road, Parkville, that Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said he had made a "heartfelt" 11th-hour appeal to save.

The tree is to be cut down to widen CityLink, and has already been stripped of many branches after two attempts to remove it were thwarted by resident protests.

On Wednesday, Cr Doyle asked acting Roads Minister Jacinta Allan to stop its removal. Ms Allan's spokeswoman said that all "available alternatives were looked at", but that the tree could not be kept if a safe intersection was to be created for the road widening.

Cr Doyle said he accepted the tree had to go, but said its destruction was a loss. "It's terribly sad. It's a beautiful specimen at the gateway of our city," he said.

Voting for Victorian Tree of the Year finishes on July 31, National Tree Day.