Decorate with, give away festive puakenikeni balls

Lei makers remove the “balls,” or developing fruit, on puakenikeni trees to encourage profuse flowering.

Busy working gardeners like you and me wait and cut them all off at one time (like when you can get a tall person to help you!). If you have them available, they make excellent and versatile holiday decor.

Cut the clusters with long stems to increase the shelf life and give you more options for decorating.

Here are a few fast and easy tips:

>> Cut stems with fruit and put in vase of water, a dry arrangement or tied into a wreath, alone or with other greenery.

>> Tie them onto a gift package with a bit of ribbon or tinsel.

>> Give them as gifts. Your garden-loving friends can grow trees from the tiny black seeds inside the fruit.

>> Give your cat a gift. Cats and kittens like to play with individual balls.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant specializing in native, xeric and edible gardens. Reach her at heidibornhorst@gmail.com.