Tired of Norfolk pines? A new variety of Hawaii-grown Christmas trees is available.
By Mariah Mellor
It took five years – from test pot to harvest – for a new variety of local Christmas trees to be available this holiday season from Helemano Farms.
The Leyland Cypress, a popular tree usually grown in the U.S. South, is fuller compared to Helemano’s Norfolk pines. “We planted 15 varieties of trees, about 100 to 400 of each variety, and only the Leyland survived,” says Aaron O’Brien, Helemano’s owner.
Local Christmas Trees for Sale at Helemano Farms
WHITMORE VILLAGE — Helemano Farms, local grower of thousands of Christmas Trees in Central Oahu, opens next week on the day after Thanksgiving 2010. The Whitmore Village farm will offer thick, evergreen Leyland Cypress Christmas trees this year along with its traditional and gorgeous Norfolk Pines. Prices for all of our Norfolk trees are the same as last year – only $40 for Norfolk Christmas Trees up to 6 feet tall.
Families who visit the farm can choose their Christmas tree from thousands of Norfolks ranging from 5 to 20 feet tall and from more than one thousand Leylands. Helemano Farms, located on Whitmore Avenue, will be open every day from noon to sunset on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to sunset on weekends. We are on the Web at:
http://www.helemanofarms.com and http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=152313482989&ref=ts
Our Leyland Cypress trees start at $60 and our locally made Christmas wreaths start at $25. Our farm workers cut, wrap and load all trees for customers free of charge. Our Norfolk trees grow back after we cut them down! And our Leyland trees have a natural, gentle pine scent.
Christmas Trees in Hawaii : Aloha Howdy
Talking about Christmas trees in Hawaii is a little early being that its November 8th today.
But I was just watching Hawaii Five-O tonight, and it made me think of us getting our first Christmas tree in Hawaii. So how does Hawaii Five-O make someone think about Christmas trees. I’ll get to that in just a second.
When you are used to living on the mainland and you first move out to Hawaii, there are a few adjustments you have to make… a few ‘differences’ you have to get used to. To name a few:
1. Even though there is an interstate, it doesn’t take you to another state.
2. Shoes come off at the front door, and all of those shoes will be ’slippas’.
3. They serve Spam for breakfast at McDonald’s.There are probably a hundred others, but maybe you get the point.
So coming up to our first Christmas on Oahu, we began to talk about where, and how, we would get a Christmas tree. We did learn that they do ship Christmas trees in and you can pick them up at places like Home Depot and such (yes, Hawaii has a couple of Home Depots). But after Sumi had done some internet research, she found this wonderful place up on the North Shore called Helemano Farms. Its a Christmas Tree Farm, in Hawaii. How cool is that?
So we picked our day for getting our first Hawaiian Christmas tree, and headed north to Wahiawa.
At that time, the only Christmas trees that they grew were Norfolk pines. They are very cool, very unique looking Christmas trees.