Editor: James Card

Mountain Ash Dedication
Last summer during the bridge dedication ceremony,
the representatives of Gresham’s sister city Ebetsu,presented the garden with two plaques and a gift of
30,000 yen ($250) intended for the purchase of a
"Mountain Ash" tree. Attending the ceremony was
Mayor Shane Bemis and his family, the board ofdirectors for the Gresham Ebetsu Sister City
Association and many volunteers. One plaque isdisplayed in Gresham City Hall's main lobby and theother is displayed by the Ash tree. The plaque ismounted on a display pedestal made of Purple Heartwood.

Behind The Scenes:
At a recent “Volunteer Day” presentation, MarkVossbrink gave a presentation of the history ofKokedama (a form of bonsai) and provided anopportunity to make some. This Bonsai, which ismade of a moss ball, originated in Japan during theEdo period (1603-1868).
Born in Hawaii, Mark was exposed to Japanesebonsai as a child influenced by his grandmother anduncles’ involvement in the art form. He joined his
uncle on a bonsai related trip to China which
increased his knowledge and understanding.

The Mountain Ash is the city tree of Ebetsu, Japanjust like the Hogan cedar is the chosen tree for theCity of Gresham. The Ash tree, rated at 2-inch caliper,
was purchased from J Frank Schmidt Nursery andplanted last spring. It is now in full leaf and doingwell.

Mark's Japanese grandmother would take him into
the forest and show him plants that were growing in
unusual and natural ways. Part of the bonsai
process is to replicate nature and make it appear old.
“The item does not have to be old but has to have theillusion of being old.” says Mark.

This Ash is a deciduous tree is actually a Sorbus andnot an ash like the name suggests. It will lose its
leaves this fall as soon as the weather turns a bitcolder. During the spring after
it gains its leaves back the tree
will also produce a fruit that is
considered a berry. The berry
is a brilliant red and appear inbunches like grapes.

Mark refers to bonsai as the "black hole" ofgardening where the possibilities are endless. He isabsolutely right; it can be endless with over 5 million
bonsai enthusiasts in China alone. Mark ispresently fostering about 40 bonsai of his own:
juniper and spruce being his favorite plants. It takes
a bonsai about 8-10 years to mature and developed
enough to be a quality plant for sale.
Mark has recently been invited by his uncle, who is
94 now, to go to Washington DC to attend the reopening of the bonsai exhibits promoted by The
National Bonsai Foundation and developed by theNational Bonsai & Penjing Museum.
Cont. from page 1 – Behind the Scen: Armed with a degree

Issue #10 | September 2016

in Art from the U of O, Mark has also become
enthralled in the world of ceramics which can go
hand in hand with bonsai and ikebana formulations.

Cont. from page 1 – Behind the Scenes:

Armed with a degree in Art from the U of O,
Mark has also become enthralled in the world ofceramics which can go hand in hand withbonsai and ikebana formulations. The base andthe plant must complement each other.

A NEW PLANT TO THE GARDEN
The garden has received donated plants from manysources with each having its own story. Many of thoseplants came from Toni and Barry Busse which camefrom the nursery of Toni’s father, Tom. Now Toni'scousin, Sheri Swiggart and her husband, Brad havedonatedamatureJapanesemaple
called"Shishigashira". This particular tree also came fromTom's collection and was potted and place where you
see it in the first picture. The newly retired couple
lived in the Eastmorland area for about 16 years anddecided that they would sell their house and travel.
Because the tree had a special meaning to them they
did not want it to go with the house. They wanted thisexceptional tree to be cherished as they had. The tree
had been placed at the entrance of the home forviewing. It weighs about 750 pounds. This maple will
stay in the pot and we will continue to prune it in a
typical aesthetic style for such a maple. The pot has arim that is cast to the inside of the diameter and it
would have to be broken to remove the tree. Currently
this beautiful specimen is positioned by the entry to
the "Resource Center" where it will get a drip line in
the next few days.

Issue #10 | September 2016

So what does Mark do with this knowledge andnatural talent that he possesses? At this time
he is selling his products and supplies at theVancouver Farmers Market on Saturdays andthe Milwaukie Farmers Market on Sundays andvarious other markets.
When asked about his hobbies, Mark chuckled
and said that it is very difficult to have anabsorbing hobby when you are involved withbonsai to the level that he is. But he enjoys
bees. He has a hive of honey bees and boasts
that his neighbors have really nice plants intheir yards although they may not realize why.
Mark's real passion is teaching art of bonsaiand ikebana. He teaches seniors through thePortland Parks and Recreation programs. The
next one will begin in October 2016; once amonth for three months. There will also be asimilar program about bonsai at the "Resource
Center" in the next few weeks. Watch for theannouncement on our web site greshamsistercity.org
We all want to thank Mark for joining us at
Tsuru Island and look forward to working with
him in the future.

Gresham Rotary ClubThe garden cannot be successful without the help of significant
partners. We are fortunate to have a great partnership with
the Gresham Rotary club. For the past several years thegarden has received a donation from the club in the amount of$1000. The donations have gone to the Kaz Kids program,supply items for maintenance, additional plants as the garden
develops, and has supported the construction of the azumaya
building.
Each month some plants in and around thegarden will be showcased. The first 3 werefeatured in the July issue. Here are thehighlighted items for this month. Clues will
be provided in the description to be able tovisit the website and identify the plant andthen venture to the garden to find thatparticular plant.
Any questions orcomments
pleasesenttogresham.japanese.garden@gmail.com#7 – This plant comes from a bulb that canbe separated from the plant and replanted toanother area including pots. Yoshiko Turedonated some from her personal garden.
They will bloom in spring keeping its foliage
until the winter when it will be cut back.
#8 – the original plant at this site wasdestroyed by the beaver. This beauty has
brilliant red branches during the winter.
The colder the weather, the redder itbecomes.
The location of this plant isintended to draw the eye to the east alongwith red berries and leaves of other plantsas a distraction its real prize.
#9 - Originating in Japan and China thisplant enjoys the shade and moisture and are
a true perennial. Some varieties like sun
and will do well but most prefer the lightwithout the heat. This plant was purchased
at a plant sale for the exact area it is placed.
As it continues to get bigger the surrounding
neighbors will be moved. Check to see if it
has an odor.

Issue #10 | September 2016

The Rotary Club was introduced to Tsuru Garden through theefforts of Tad Tsuneyoshi and John Harold. Tad, John andother Rotary members have volunteered with the garden on
many occasions from the beginning. They also coordinate
presentations to the Rotary membership.
To acknowledge the partnership a brief ceremony was given
and a presentation of a plaque which was placed at theAzumaya. Participating in the annual Rotary Club Steak Fry
has been a pleasure. Tsuru Island garden will contribute todoor prizes in the future.

If you recall some of the pine trees in
the garden were attacked by “pinebeetles”.
4 pines were lost andremoved. They were to be replaced byIncense Cedars. Loosing large trees
as we did is a major game changer forthe garden. Walking the path with theaged trees present gave a sense of
longevity, and provided shade frombranches and foliage effecting thetemperature and micro-climate of theareas beneath. The Incense Cedar is a
bit messy and can grow out ofproportion. With more discussions,
Incense Cedar was not a good fit.
A tree native to Japan, called
Cryptomeria japonica "Yoshino" willbe the star of this area. Only one tree
will replace the previous 3. The newtree is about 6 feet tall, will growabout 12-15 inches per year and ismanageable. The old stumps will not
be removed. Re-arrangement of theexisting plant materials may benecessary to balance the area. Thistree will be trained to push upward
and once the branching is at headheight, it will be allowed to grownover the path way.
In place of the remaining 2 trees aJapanese umbrella- pine (Sciadopitysverticillata) donated by Toni andBarry Busse, has been planted. The
one other spot was filled with a larger
Japanese lace leaf maple (Acerpalmatum, disectum), donated byCardscapes Creative Landscapes.

Issue #10 | September 2016Yoshiko & Ron Ture

Plant Sale
Saturday September 24th was a very busy day at the garden.
Ron, Yoshiko and Tomiko did a wonderful job of putting theplant sale together. A total of $900 was received plus folks cameback after the sale to purchase more.
Donated foods from our Gresham business partners were
provided for the volunteers. They are: Cheap Charlie, Chuy’s,Jazzy Bagel, M&M, Nicholas, and Twisted Carrot. Please
support them with your patronage.
Each plant sale is a learning experience that allows us toimprove. This year some sample plants were placed at thegarden so visitors would know about the sale and what would beavailable for purchase. Next year with scheduled dates we will
advertise in the Downtown Business Association flyer and otherpublications in the area.
Many volunteer hours have been spent pruning and prepping theplants for this project, which includes repotting and watering.
Thanks to Yoshiko for all of her hard work and direction to thosethat assist her.

Tomiko, Tad, Mayor Bemis,
Jim and Ron
Dedication of Mountain Ash tree