August 2024

Upcoming Pruning Classes

Tsuru Soars

All Day Hands-on Pruning Workshop, Saturday, September 7, 2024 10:00am-4:00pm – $100
For the intermediate pruners, a hands-on opportunity to prune a variety of plants at a Japanese garden in Boring, OR, learning
alongside Francheska Snyder, a professional aesthetic pruner trained in Japan who owns her own business, Niwa Method.
This is the Gresham Japanese Garden’s 5th opportunity to prune at Vanport International. There are still many plants thatneed to be pruned and brought back to the vision of the original garden designer, Hoichi Kurisu.

Friends of the Gresham Japanese Garden Newsletter

Propagating Conifers from Cuttings, Saturday, November 2, 2024, 1-3pm - $55
Learn how to successfully propagate Chamaecyparis, Cryptomeria, Tsuga, Thujopsis and other suitable conifers by rooting
cuttings. Instructor Norm Jacobs will decode plant physiology, explain the selection of containers, soil mixes, and the role ofrooting compounds. Norm will demonstrate, and you will prepare the cuttings from branches and sticks. Last Norm will shareexperience about aftercare and future transplanting of your cuttings. Class includes all the propagation materials: pots, soil,
rooting compound, and plant tags.
GJG Instructor, Norm Jacobs
Norm began gardening at age six, trimming boxwood, pruning roses, and tending his grandparents'
vegetable garden. When his family moved to the Bay Area, CA, he landscaped tract house lots. College
was math and physics at Berkeley, but fledgling programs for public “pension gardens" and "edibleclassrooms" drew his attention. With his botanist-wife he has operated a propagating nursery (Arbutus
Garden Arts) for 30+ years.
Norm specializes in Japanese maples, dwarf conifers, Epimedium, and flirts with woodland peonies among other genera, all ofwhich are propagated and grown from plants which have performed well in their SE Portland urban garden and nursery.
The History of Japanese Maple Cultivars: Zoom, Thursday, January 23, 2025, 6:30-8pm - $30
Instructor Norm Jacobs says that we are in a period of change in the world of Japanese maples, are in a period of "changing of
the guard" in the world of Japanese maples with the future uncertain. That said, many select introductions of the last 30 years(the period of my most intense activity) are still rare or just making their way into propagation in numbers adequate to lower
prices and improve availability. New plants continue to enter our evaluation program each year. This class will focus on JMs
introduced during 1980-2018. Here are a few outstanding maple specialists instructor Norm Jacobs will discuss:• Jack Muldoon, Trans-Pacific Nursery - Acer X circinatum Ki setsudore +• Del Loucks, Del's Japanese Maples- Emerald Lace, Beni hoshi +• Talon Buchholz, Buchholz Nursery, active though nursery now owned/operated by Matt and Tim Nichols (Mr. Maple) - The
Ghost series (Sister, Amber, First, etc), Fairy Hair, Geisha Gone Wild, Bloody Talons• The Dutch: Firma Esveld (the van Gelderen family) - shirasawanum aureum, Ariadne +• Masayoshi Yano - Kurenai jishi, and author of Book for Maples
Propagating Broadleaf Shrubs, Saturday, June 7, 2025 1-3pm - $55
In this class learn how to successfully propagate deciduous and evergreen plants such as Rhododendron, Ribes and othersuitable woody plants from cuttings. Instructor Norm Jacobs will explain plant physiology as it pertains to successfulpropagation, explain the selection of containers, soil mixes, and the role of rooting compounds. Next Norm will demonstrate
and you will prepare stick cuttings from harvested branches. Last Norm will share experience about aftercare and futuretransplanting of your cuttings. Class includes all the propagation class materials: pots, soil, rooting compound, and plant tags.
REGISTER ON WEBSITE

Volunteer Newsletter Editors: Mary Dickson, Mary Taylor, and Sue Protz. Photos by Bill Peterson.

Easing Congestion on the IslandIf there is one takeaway from caring
visitors and the flow of traffic for the past
for Tsuru Island it is that adapting
few months and decided we needed to
to change is important. Whether
adapt to change again.
it's pruning shrubs because they are
Along the main stretch
growing into one another, replacing the of path, we took out arope fencing because it's frayed at the
shrub to allow a space forends, or in this last assessment, changing the bench to be moved
the path to ease congestion.
four feet off the path. We
We're happy Tsuru Island is ainstalled a 4' x 4' pad ofdestination, but the Japanese garden
blue stone leftover fromonly occupies 3/4 of an acre which
the original construction
includes the same ingress and egress.
to create a bump out. This
Unfortunately, these limitations cause
additional space allows
congestion on the pathway during peak visitors to step off the main
hours.
path and let others readily
We've been watching the increase ofpass by.

golden trees
in a summer evening
another earthday— Bill Peterson

What is That Plant?

T

he question asked most frequently is, what is that plant?
The specimen, Cotoneasterdammeri 'Coral Beauty', was probably
planted during the garden's creation in
the early '70s, then forgotten and notpruned.
When you look up Cotoneaster on theWeb, it says "ground cover, shrub andtree all for this one cultivar; Fast growing, spreading with dense prostratebranches."
It was uncovered during the rebirth in2011, but it wasn't a priority until about2013 when one day volunteer Misuzu Sarver asked if she could thin andeliminate the trailing branches. Aboutan hour later when Jim Card returnedto the bridge he found this uniquely
shaped shrub that no one recognized.
Sarver trimmed it for a few years, andthen passed the pruners to anothervolunteer for a few more years.
When Judy Beattie joined the garden
in 2021, the Cotoneaster did not havea designated pruner. When she walked
over the bridge into the garden, and noticed the plant off to the left, it was wild
and crazy, not pruned. In Judy's words,

The Return of Yosegaki Hinomaru
by Rex Ziak, OBON SOCIETY"Just like any rowdy
teen, the plant was
acting out. It seemedthat way because no
one was focused on it.
When Sue Protz offeredan ambassador position to be in charge ofthe unruly Cotoneaster, I jumped on the
chance!""The plant care issimple, but requiresconsistent care. During
the winter the plantgoes dormant so there
Beattie poised to trim the beloved Cotoneaster.
isn’t much growth, but
come spring when
can’t help but think of the big fluffy Texit finally wakes up, it is bursting withan clouds as I shape the bush into place.
energy."I now think the Cotoneaster has a Texan"After taking care of the Cotoneaster
accent too!"now for three years, the best part for
I now think the Cotoneasterme is pruning while people enter thehas a Texan accent too!
garden. It sits at the end of the bridge
Judy is continuing the legacy of prunas a warm welcome to every visitor. It
sets the tone for the whole experience. ing the Cotoneaster and through this rePeople notice it more now that it looks lationship they are the best of friends. It
good and are quick to complement on strategically sits at the base of the bridge
to give each visitor a friendly welcome
its unique shape. Being from Texas, I
and a warm send off.

Dogs Get Fresh Water Daily

Planting the Entrance Garden

In the front of the Kyoudou Center we havea boulder that was intentionally chosenwith a large indentation so it could holdrain water, and is purposely placed near thepathway where dogs walk by.
Recently we plumbed the entrance garden
with irrigation and added an emitter to thedog boulder. Now, rain or sun, dogs will
have fresh water!

After months of bare dirt surrounding the
Kyoudou Center's sign, GJG finally has completed the entrance garden planting.
The garden primarily consists of nativeplants including Cornus sericea, Carex tumicola, two Mahonia species, Ribes aureum,and Oemleria cerasiformis which grows
upright and will eventually form a screen to
the Kyoudou Center's walkway.

HAIKU CORNER
this scorching summer,
nature’s meek apology
for bitter winters.
- Jass Aujla.雨三粒天から土用見舞かな
ame san tsubu ten kara doyô mimai kanathree raindrops
a greeting card from heaven...
midsummer heat
- issaIn August of 1945 the war between
sitting at a kitchen
America and Japan came to antable with a pen,end. Japan formally surrendered on
paper and a laptop
September 2nd aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. computer.
Americans immediately budgeted
Keiko built a team$200 million and a team of 13,000ofvolunteers toworkers searched every continent forhelp search while
their missing servicemen. Typically theRex organized adeceased were buried in battlefield
cemeteries but remains were discovered cataloging andin wreckage, sunken ships, and alongarchiving system.
jungle trails. Several hundred thousand This had never been
missing Americans were recovered anddone. It took four
the remains returned to their families.
Unfortunately, years before the firstflag was returned tono effort
the family.
was madeto recover
The Japanese families dearly embraced
Japanesethe returned Yosegaki Hinomaru flags.
servicemen.
(Yosegaki Hinomaru mean Good Luck
And during the occupation, theFlag.) They wept, hugged the fabric andJapanese families were not allowed tooften spoke directly to it saying, “Youtravel. To console these MIA families,
have finally come home.”
the officials sent a box containing one
Many families carried the Yosegaki
rock. At least that gave every Japanesemother or wife something to bury.
Hinomaru to their family cemetery to
As a result, today more than one‘show’ the ancestors that their missing
million Japanese servicemen are listed
son had finally returned home.
as “Missing In Action” and every one is
Meanwhile, the American veteransomeone’s brother, father or uncle. And
families were thrilled to provide a
those family members are still alive.
Japanese family with some relief. The
Fortunately, the Japanese created afamilies often exchanged letters andunique tradition. Before leaving homephotographs. Many Americans said it
the parents, neighbors and friends
was the most important thing they had
signed their names on a Japanese flag.
ever done.
Each serviceman carried his flag until his
This work has resulted in an unexpected
final breath. Many of these flags were
profound discovery. The Japanese familybrought home by returning American
reacted to the Yosegaki Hinomaru withservicemen.
the same emotion as American MIA
Since each flag is absolutely unique andfamilies when they received the bone
specific as DNA, they can be traced backremains of their missing family member.
to family.
Even the language each family uses is
Rex and Keiko Ziak, founders of theidentical.
Astoria based non-profit organization
There had never been a situation were
OBON SOCIETY, were the first to realize
human remains could be comparedthat in the absence of any physicalwith non-human remains. Scientists andremains, the return of these flags might
forensic anthropologists see a difference,
provide the Japanese some intimate
however, the MIA family's do not.
connection with their lost relative. And
The human and non-human remains
so they began their work: Two people
provided the contact with their missing

A Yosegaki Hinomaru returned to the family.

relative and thus it provided the same
closure.
This has led to the creation of
the terminology to describe thisphenomena. Yosegaki Hinomaru.
OBON SOCIETY is preparing forthe future. The year 2025 marks the80th anniversary of the beginning ofpeace between America and Japan.
It is estimated that 50,000 Yosegaki
Hinomaru were brought to American
soil as souvenirs from WWII. If even asmall percentage of these are returned
to Japan, this will become the mostprofound demonstration of peace andreconciliation the world has ever seen.
Last year the Government of Japan
awarded Rex Ziak with the “Orderof the Rising Sun” in recognitionof his contribution to promoting
understanding and friendly relations
between Japan and the United States.
The August 15 festival of Obon honors
the spirits of one's ancestors. People
return to ancestral family places, visit
and clean their ancestral graves.
OBON SOCIETY adapted their namefrom this traditional Japanese Shinto
season of remembrance.
For more information see obonsociety.
org.

What is That Plant?

T

he question asked most frequently is, what is that plant?
The specimen, Cotoneasterdammeri 'Coral Beauty', was probably
planted during the garden's creation in
the early '70s, then forgotten and notpruned.
When you look up Cotoneaster on theWeb, it says "ground cover, shrub andtree all for this one cultivar; Fast growing, spreading with dense prostratebranches."
It was uncovered during the rebirth in2011, but it wasn't a priority until about2013 when one day volunteer Misuzu Sarver asked if she could thin andeliminate the trailing branches. Aboutan hour later when Jim Card returnedto the bridge he found this uniquely
shaped shrub that no one recognized.
Sarver trimmed it for a few years, andthen passed the pruners to anothervolunteer for a few more years.
When Judy Beattie joined the garden
in 2021, the Cotoneaster did not havea designated pruner. When she walked
over the bridge into the garden, and noticed the plant off to the left, it was wild
and crazy, not pruned. In Judy's words,

The Return of Yosegaki Hinomaru
by Rex Ziak, OBON SOCIETY"Just like any rowdy
teen, the plant was
acting out. It seemedthat way because no
one was focused on it.
When Sue Protz offeredan ambassador position to be in charge ofthe unruly Cotoneaster, I jumped on the
chance!""The plant care issimple, but requiresconsistent care. During
the winter the plantgoes dormant so there
Beattie poised to trim the beloved Cotoneaster.
isn’t much growth, but
come spring when
can’t help but think of the big fluffy Texit finally wakes up, it is bursting withan clouds as I shape the bush into place.
energy."I now think the Cotoneaster has a Texan"After taking care of the Cotoneaster
accent too!"now for three years, the best part for
I now think the Cotoneasterme is pruning while people enter thehas a Texan accent too!
garden. It sits at the end of the bridge
Judy is continuing the legacy of prunas a warm welcome to every visitor. It
sets the tone for the whole experience. ing the Cotoneaster and through this rePeople notice it more now that it looks lationship they are the best of friends. It
good and are quick to complement on strategically sits at the base of the bridge
to give each visitor a friendly welcome
its unique shape. Being from Texas, I
and a warm send off.

Dogs Get Fresh Water Daily

Planting the Entrance Garden

In the front of the Kyoudou Center we havea boulder that was intentionally chosenwith a large indentation so it could holdrain water, and is purposely placed near thepathway where dogs walk by.
Recently we plumbed the entrance garden
with irrigation and added an emitter to thedog boulder. Now, rain or sun, dogs will
have fresh water!

After months of bare dirt surrounding the
Kyoudou Center's sign, GJG finally has completed the entrance garden planting.
The garden primarily consists of nativeplants including Cornus sericea, Carex tumicola, two Mahonia species, Ribes aureum,and Oemleria cerasiformis which grows
upright and will eventually form a screen to
the Kyoudou Center's walkway.

HAIKU CORNER
this scorching summer,
nature’s meek apology
for bitter winters.
- Jass Aujla.雨三粒天から土用見舞かな
ame san tsubu ten kara doyô mimai kanathree raindrops
a greeting card from heaven...
midsummer heat
- issaIn August of 1945 the war between
sitting at a kitchen
America and Japan came to antable with a pen,end. Japan formally surrendered on
paper and a laptop
September 2nd aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. computer.
Americans immediately budgeted
Keiko built a team$200 million and a team of 13,000ofvolunteers toworkers searched every continent forhelp search while
their missing servicemen. Typically theRex organized adeceased were buried in battlefield
cemeteries but remains were discovered cataloging andin wreckage, sunken ships, and alongarchiving system.
jungle trails. Several hundred thousand This had never been
missing Americans were recovered anddone. It took four
the remains returned to their families.
Unfortunately, years before the firstflag was returned tono effort
the family.
was madeto recover
The Japanese families dearly embraced
Japanesethe returned Yosegaki Hinomaru flags.
servicemen.
(Yosegaki Hinomaru mean Good Luck
And during the occupation, theFlag.) They wept, hugged the fabric andJapanese families were not allowed tooften spoke directly to it saying, “Youtravel. To console these MIA families,
have finally come home.”
the officials sent a box containing one
Many families carried the Yosegaki
rock. At least that gave every Japanesemother or wife something to bury.
Hinomaru to their family cemetery to
As a result, today more than one‘show’ the ancestors that their missing
million Japanese servicemen are listed
son had finally returned home.
as “Missing In Action” and every one is
Meanwhile, the American veteransomeone’s brother, father or uncle. And
families were thrilled to provide a
those family members are still alive.
Japanese family with some relief. The
Fortunately, the Japanese created afamilies often exchanged letters andunique tradition. Before leaving homephotographs. Many Americans said it
the parents, neighbors and friends
was the most important thing they had
signed their names on a Japanese flag.
ever done.
Each serviceman carried his flag until his
This work has resulted in an unexpected
final breath. Many of these flags were
profound discovery. The Japanese familybrought home by returning American
reacted to the Yosegaki Hinomaru withservicemen.
the same emotion as American MIA
Since each flag is absolutely unique andfamilies when they received the bone
specific as DNA, they can be traced backremains of their missing family member.
to family.
Even the language each family uses is
Rex and Keiko Ziak, founders of theidentical.
Astoria based non-profit organization
There had never been a situation were
OBON SOCIETY, were the first to realize
human remains could be comparedthat in the absence of any physicalwith non-human remains. Scientists andremains, the return of these flags might
forensic anthropologists see a difference,
provide the Japanese some intimate
however, the MIA family's do not.
connection with their lost relative. And
The human and non-human remains
so they began their work: Two people
provided the contact with their missing

A Yosegaki Hinomaru returned to the family.

relative and thus it provided the same
closure.
This has led to the creation of
the terminology to describe thisphenomena. Yosegaki Hinomaru.
OBON SOCIETY is preparing forthe future. The year 2025 marks the80th anniversary of the beginning ofpeace between America and Japan.
It is estimated that 50,000 Yosegaki
Hinomaru were brought to American
soil as souvenirs from WWII. If even asmall percentage of these are returned
to Japan, this will become the mostprofound demonstration of peace andreconciliation the world has ever seen.
Last year the Government of Japan
awarded Rex Ziak with the “Orderof the Rising Sun” in recognitionof his contribution to promoting
understanding and friendly relations
between Japan and the United States.
The August 15 festival of Obon honors
the spirits of one's ancestors. People
return to ancestral family places, visit
and clean their ancestral graves.
OBON SOCIETY adapted their namefrom this traditional Japanese Shinto
season of remembrance.
For more information see obonsociety.
org.

August 2024

Upcoming Pruning Classes

Tsuru Soars

All Day Hands-on Pruning Workshop, Saturday, September 7, 2024 10:00am-4:00pm – $100
For the intermediate pruners, a hands-on opportunity to prune a variety of plants at a Japanese garden in Boring, OR, learning
alongside Francheska Snyder, a professional aesthetic pruner trained in Japan who owns her own business, Niwa Method.
This is the Gresham Japanese Garden’s 5th opportunity to prune at Vanport International. There are still many plants thatneed to be pruned and brought back to the vision of the original garden designer, Hoichi Kurisu.

Friends of the Gresham Japanese Garden Newsletter

Propagating Conifers from Cuttings, Saturday, November 2, 2024, 1-3pm - $55
Learn how to successfully propagate Chamaecyparis, Cryptomeria, Tsuga, Thujopsis and other suitable conifers by rooting
cuttings. Instructor Norm Jacobs will decode plant physiology, explain the selection of containers, soil mixes, and the role ofrooting compounds. Norm will demonstrate, and you will prepare the cuttings from branches and sticks. Last Norm will shareexperience about aftercare and future transplanting of your cuttings. Class includes all the propagation materials: pots, soil,
rooting compound, and plant tags.
GJG Instructor, Norm Jacobs
Norm began gardening at age six, trimming boxwood, pruning roses, and tending his grandparents'
vegetable garden. When his family moved to the Bay Area, CA, he landscaped tract house lots. College
was math and physics at Berkeley, but fledgling programs for public “pension gardens" and "edibleclassrooms" drew his attention. With his botanist-wife he has operated a propagating nursery (Arbutus
Garden Arts) for 30+ years.
Norm specializes in Japanese maples, dwarf conifers, Epimedium, and flirts with woodland peonies among other genera, all ofwhich are propagated and grown from plants which have performed well in their SE Portland urban garden and nursery.
The History of Japanese Maple Cultivars: Zoom, Thursday, January 23, 2025, 6:30-8pm - $30
Instructor Norm Jacobs says that we are in a period of change in the world of Japanese maples, are in a period of "changing of
the guard" in the world of Japanese maples with the future uncertain. That said, many select introductions of the last 30 years(the period of my most intense activity) are still rare or just making their way into propagation in numbers adequate to lower
prices and improve availability. New plants continue to enter our evaluation program each year. This class will focus on JMs
introduced during 1980-2018. Here are a few outstanding maple specialists instructor Norm Jacobs will discuss:• Jack Muldoon, Trans-Pacific Nursery - Acer X circinatum Ki setsudore +• Del Loucks, Del's Japanese Maples- Emerald Lace, Beni hoshi +• Talon Buchholz, Buchholz Nursery, active though nursery now owned/operated by Matt and Tim Nichols (Mr. Maple) - The
Ghost series (Sister, Amber, First, etc), Fairy Hair, Geisha Gone Wild, Bloody Talons• The Dutch: Firma Esveld (the van Gelderen family) - shirasawanum aureum, Ariadne +• Masayoshi Yano - Kurenai jishi, and author of Book for Maples
Propagating Broadleaf Shrubs, Saturday, June 7, 2025 1-3pm - $55
In this class learn how to successfully propagate deciduous and evergreen plants such as Rhododendron, Ribes and othersuitable woody plants from cuttings. Instructor Norm Jacobs will explain plant physiology as it pertains to successfulpropagation, explain the selection of containers, soil mixes, and the role of rooting compounds. Next Norm will demonstrate
and you will prepare stick cuttings from harvested branches. Last Norm will share experience about aftercare and futuretransplanting of your cuttings. Class includes all the propagation class materials: pots, soil, rooting compound, and plant tags.
REGISTER ON WEBSITE

Volunteer Newsletter Editors: Mary Dickson, Mary Taylor, and Sue Protz. Photos by Bill Peterson.

Easing Congestion on the IslandIf there is one takeaway from caring
visitors and the flow of traffic for the past
for Tsuru Island it is that adapting
few months and decided we needed to
to change is important. Whether
adapt to change again.
it's pruning shrubs because they are
Along the main stretch
growing into one another, replacing the of path, we took out arope fencing because it's frayed at the
shrub to allow a space forends, or in this last assessment, changing the bench to be moved
the path to ease congestion.
four feet off the path. We
We're happy Tsuru Island is ainstalled a 4' x 4' pad ofdestination, but the Japanese garden
blue stone leftover fromonly occupies 3/4 of an acre which
the original construction
includes the same ingress and egress.
to create a bump out. This
Unfortunately, these limitations cause
additional space allows
congestion on the pathway during peak visitors to step off the main
hours.
path and let others readily
We've been watching the increase ofpass by.

golden trees
in a summer evening
another earthday— Bill Peterson