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Topiary trim

First photo: Tino Calvan grooms a breaching humpback whale Saturday.

Second photo: Tino Calvan, owner of Onit Landscaping, trims a ficus tree shaped into the likeness of a llama Saturday afternoon at Ki-Hana Nursery’s topiary along South Kihei Road. Calvan also has shaped humpback whales, ships, turtles, lobsters, dolphins and hot air balloons among his many creations. “I don’t use wires to shape,” Calvan said. “Sometimes I do use string just to bend it. At first I train it and then I bring it down to a skeleton. I groom it and after a month or two you can start to see the character. They are happy plants. If you make a mistake, that’s OK. It will grow back.”

The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

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