LIHU‘E — Last week, Gov. Neil Abercrombie launched the “Buy Hawai‘i, Give Aloha!” campaign urging consumers to buy locally made products during the holiday season. At the same time, shipping containers were already en route to the islands from the
LIHU‘E — Last week, Gov. Neil Abercrombie launched the “Buy Hawai‘i, Give Aloha!” campaign urging consumers to buy locally made products during the holiday season.
At the same time, shipping containers were already en route to the islands from the Pacific Northwest filled with Christmas trees.
Unfortunately, some of the trees also were bringing invasive species ranging from wasps to slugs. Last week, one Kaua‘i family even got an unexpected holiday visitor: a Pacific chorus frog who traveled here in their newly purchased Christmas tree.
Conversations around the island quickly turned to the idea of buying locally sourced trees and decor for the holiday.
“We are really encouraging people to buy locally to avoid importation of unwanted invasive species,” said Keren Gundersen, Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee project manager.
While at least one family in Anahola was able to cut down a treasured tree on their property to decorate for the holidays, not everyone has that option.
So where can families find locally grown Christmas trees? One popular option is decorating Norfolk pine trees — known informally as “Hawaiian Christmas trees.”
Kaua‘i Nursery and Landscaping, located at 3-1550 Kaumuali’i Highway in Puhi, offers Norfolk pines in sizes ranging from those planted in 3- to 5-gallon pots to those in 15- to 20-gallon containers that stand 8 to 15 feet tall.
“Everything is potted, not cut,” said office assistant Sandra Nishek.
This means that the trees can be transplanted and continue to grow long after the holidays.
The nursery also offers juniper and Italian cypress trees “that are small enough to be a table-top tree,” Nishek said.
The nursery also offers poinsettias in several colors.
Another local nursery, Growing Greens Kapa‘a at 6660 Kawaihau Road in Kapa‘a, carries Norfolk pines from 4 feet on up. They also carry poinsettias in assorted sizes.
Kanu Hawai‘i runs an annual campaign to “Simplify the Holidays,” in which members are encouraged to share tips online about ways to lessen or eliminate consumerism from the holiday season by looking at how to celebrate with conscience.
Olin Lagon of Honolulu posted a photo on the Kanu Hawai‘i website of a potted Norfolk pine tree his family bought the year before.
After the holidays, his family moved the tree outside and was able to reuse the same tree the following year. Their Norfolk even sprouted an offshoot tree that Lagon said could eventually be passed on to someone else.
In addition to supporting local farming operations, buying local also eliminates or greatly reduces the cost of fossil fuels used for shipping.
On the corner of Kaumuali‘i Highway and Pu‘uwai Road in Kalaheo is a hand-decorated sign attached to a fence across from Red Dirt Shirts that says simply, “Christmas Trees Norfolk” with an arrow pointing mauka. Signs along Pu‘uwai direct tree buyers to take a left on Po‘ohiwi Road.
At the very end of the road is Kalaheo Flowers, which has been in the Kimura family for four generations. The business started as a vegetable farm in 1930 and transitioned into a plant nursery around 1945.
In 1950, Yaeko Kimura started growing flowers and macadamia nuts. During this time, Norman and Yaeko Kimura set aside an area on their 11-acre farm to grow Norfolk pines.
In 1982, their son Mervyn and his wife, Carol, took over daily operations and renamed it Kalaheo Flowers and Gardens, which included operating a flower shop in town.
A year and half ago, their daughter and son-in-law, Jamiee and Yu Ohki, moved back from Utah to help run the family business. It was good timing as Mervyn’s health took a turn for the worse recently.
As Ohki took a visitor on a tour of the farm, he showed off vegetables, flowers and other plants that have continued flourishing after nearly a century.
One part of their farm features what one botanist called the “biggest lychee tree in the world,” and the farm also features a ti leaf patch. Papyrus grows on a pond and bee hives located on site helps ensure propagation.
“They take five years to mature,” Ohki said of the Norfolk pines, which are cut from the tops of older trees, which are then allowed time to regenerate. Many of the trees tower over the property. Ohki said they look for shape, fullness and maturity in trees, but that even if trees have some gaps, he can lash branches on in bundles to increase the fullness and fill in any gaps.
Ohki lamented changes in demographics of tree buyers as big name retailers moved to Kaua‘i, bringing barges filled with trees during the holidays.
“We want to keep the price point low, but it’s a little higher because it is labor intensive,” Ohki said.
Trees from Kalaheo Flowers run an average of $3 to $10 per foot. In years past, the family might sell 20 trees daily. This year, they might sell 10 trees on good days. Ohki said it is hard to keep the business running under those conditions.
However, the trees are grown with no pesticides, which can prove to be an irritant for some people.
“Norfolks do their own job repelling insects,” Ohki said, adding that they have taller Norfolks growing around the perimeter as a windbreak while allowing air flow for balance. “They are hardy trees.”
• Laurie Cicotello, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) or business@thegardenisland.com
