Posted on: Friday, November 1, 2002

HAWAI'I GARDENS
Prune trees now to maintain flowers, lawns

By Heidi Bornhorst

This golden trumpet tree near Roosevelt High School will flower through the fall. Advertiser Library Photo

Q. When is a good time to prune our trees in 'Aiea? We promise not to "bolo head" them and have a certified arborist standing by to do the job. Now that it's getting a little cooler (ha ha), is it a good time?

A. Yes, if you must prune, now is a pretty good time. We are going into the cooler months, so you will miss the shade and cooling aspects of your trees a little less. Prune lightly, taking off one third of the branches at the most. Your qualified arborist should know this too.

If you want to grow grass or a lot of flowering plants, many trees are best thinned and shaped, with dead wood removed, regularly.

People scoff at the idea in Hawai'i, but in winter, plants, especially grass, grows slower and are weaker, because of the shorter days (less sunlight) and increased rain. Thinning trees now is good to maintain turf grass lawns in our Hawaiian winter season. The extra light will help boost the grass.

Regular, scheduled pruning is better than going into a panic and lopping off your trees. Remember: You can always cut more, but you can't paste the cut branches back onto the tree.

Always communicate with the trimmer on the ground first, before he is 60 feet overhead with the chain saw cranked up. Explain which branches you really want to remove. Good communication and trust in your tree trimmer are essential.

In bloom

Along the freeway in Kaimuki is a very nice planting, featuring yellow flowering plants. A golden trumpet tree is giving us a late show, and its golden pompon flowers happily compliment the yellow plumeria, also growing along the freeway, near the 6th Avenue exit. A more subtle companion planting is the golden-orange be still tree. This usually is always in flower, but you have to look a little harder.

Year of the Hawaiian Forest

A beautiful new calendar celebrates 2003 as Year of the Hawaiian Forest.

Talented photographer and master hiker Nathan Yuen captured the most awe-inspiring images on his many hikes and shares them in this calendar. It features breathtaking landscapes and amazing close-ups of rarely seen native plants and animals. Check out the photos at www.hawaiianforest.com.

A percentage of the profits from the sale of the calendars supports efforts to protect native ecosystems for future generations. You can buy these calendars online or from Native Books, UH-Manoa Bookstore or Bestsellers.ÊIt will make a perfect Christmas gift.

Arbor Day is coming up and will be celebrated in many ways this year. Hawaiian Electric Co. and partners Honolulu Botanical Gardens, University of Hawai'i Urban Garden Center, Kaulunani, the state's urban forestry program, and U.S. Department of Agriculture will team up for a tree give-away and free advice starting at 7 a.m. today, at sites including the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City, Kahe Power Plant and Wahiawa District Park. Hawaiian Electric give-away sites include 820 Ward Ave., and HECO's base yard, 1387 Ulupii St. across from Maunawili Elementary School in Kailua.