Christmas on Maui: Finding the Perfect Tree

Christmas is certainly in the air here on Maui! Just this morning I saw a man with a santa hat on while cruising on his moped down South Kihei Road! If that doesn't put you in the spirit, then nothing will.

Tree lots are bursting with fresh trees and busy with helping people select the perfect one. Our tree is now trimmed after an adventurous tree hunting weekend. We haven't had a live tree in a few years since we were accustomed to chopping ours down in farm while living in California. Christmas trees don't grow so well here on Maui, so we didn't have that option this year.

Fake trees are a popular and eco-friendly option here, but nothing beats a real, pine-scented noble fir which looked so beautiful in the Home Depot tree lot. My husband, however, had always wanted to plant a Norfolk pine tree in our yard and thought it would be perfect to buy a living Norfolk pine as our Christmas tree this year.

You see Norfolk pine trees all over the island. These grand pine trees are have beautiful long needles and a slightly crooked trunk that remind me a lot of something out of Dr. Seuss. They grow quite large, and as a novice gardener, I was intimidated by taking on such a complicated task as planting an actual tree, but the idea of trimming a living tree rather than one that has been cut down was appealing to me. Besides, if there are so many of these trees on the island, how hard can growing one be?

We didn't find any at Home Depot, so we headed up to Kula Hardware up in Kula, where we purchased one... or actually about 5 of them since they were all planted in the same pot for fullness effect. We brought it home and decorated it very carefully since the branches of these trees are very delicate. With the weight of the ornaments and strung lights, it is leaning quite a bit to the right, but it is quite a beautiful little tree!

It'll be fun to plant it once the holidays are over and then to see how much it has grown a year from now (if it survives, that is).

But, if you are looking for a living Norfolk pine to decorate this Christmas, head up to Kula Hardware. They have a great selection at great prices.