Plant a fruit tree for a loved one this Christmas and share the gift of beauty and locally grown fresh food for years to come. There are so many varieties to choose from, and they come in many sizes and can fit into any garden, even your condo lanai.
Mango is an excellent choice for larger yards in hot, dry places. Newer varieties fruit more reliably every year than our longtime favorites Haden and Pirie. Try Mapulehu or Rapoza, or ask a grower which mango is best suited to your particular climate and soil type. There are also dwarf mango varieties.
Ulu (breadfruit) is a handsome tree and will deliciously and nutritiously feed you and your ohana. We have many varieties to choose from thanks to Diane Ragone at the Breadfruit institute and National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Lychee is a winner for cooler upland climates. There are newer varieties such as Kaimana that fruit more faithfully every year. Kaimana also has large fruit and is easy to peel.
Tangerines do well in Hawaii gardens and are so pretty and ornamental this time of year. Buy a grafted one from a professional nursery or garden shop that is appropriate for our Hawaii climate.
If size is a concern, pomelos, oranges, lemons and limes are an option. Citrus make good fruit to eat, juice and cook with. My friend Dede has a secret family recipe that uses tangerine peels. I asked her one day why she was drying tangerine peels on her dashboard. "Haven’t you noticed what a great cook I am, Heidi? It’s my secret ingredient for ono-ness."
My favorite citrus in home gardens and on apartment lanai is calamansi. It’s very pretty, and the small orange-green fruit are full of sweet-sour juice. They are used like any citrus and are ono in drinks and epic when cooking fish and savory dishes. Try calamansi mixed with tamarind for a beautifully colored, delightfully flavorful sauce for your next gourmet potluck. They freeze well in a Ziploc bag if you get too many all at once.
Mulberries, an old kamaaina favorite, are easy and fun to grow. I love harvesting the berries and adding them to my morning papaya and yogurt. Way more locally grown than blueberries!
The bulbul birds will try to get them before they ripen, so a simple solution is to pick up trashed fishnets off the beach and drape them over your mulberries to protect them from bird predation. Or you can go to your local fabric store and buy netting. The ladies at Kaimuki Dry Goods got a big kick out of the colors I bought — aqua and purple — to artfully protect precious mulberries.
MULBERRIES have flexible branches, and you can espalier (prune and tie) them into the pickable, artistic shapes.
At Frankie’s Nursery in Waimanalo, Frank Sekiya and Lynn Tsuruda have all kinds of truly exotic fruit trees to choose from. They have collected the best varieties from around the world and have been field-testing them in Hawaii conditions. Take advantage of their deep knowledge to select the perfect garden gift. (Make sure to call first, 259-8737, or visit www.frankiesnursery.com.)
Avocado is a must for Hawaii gardens. We have summer and winter "pears." There are many old and new varieties. As one kupuna on Hawaii island told me, "We need to be akamai and prepared, and plant avocado and coconut for times of hardship and famine."
Coconut trees will stay shorter if you don’t prune off all the flowers and young nuts. The Samoan dwarf, or niu afa, is a short, stocky tree with large nuts. Eat and drink the coconuts and use the fiber as an orchid planting media.
Maia or banana is another must for Hawaii gardens. We all have a corner where a banana plant would do nicely. They have many uses, from flower arranging to lei making, and they are full of potassium and ono to eat.
Mele Kalikimaka! Let’s grow for it this holiday season.
Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant specializing in native, xeric and edible gardens. Reach her at heidib@hawaii.rr.com.
