Suggestions for Visiting the Garden
Have you ever been explaining something and felt that you are not getting the message
across? Not being able to find the right description or finding the words. That is what I feellike when I am trying to tell people about what the feeling is like at a Japanese garden andwhat can it do for a person.
During my recent conference trip I had the opportunity to enjoy a talk by Hoichi Kurisu, acelebrated garden designer and builder and previous curator of the Portland JapaneseGarden. In his presentation he discussed some suggestions for those that wish to benefit
from the stroll through the garden. He has helped me find the words. At some point visit
the garden just for YOU, your time, and your needs. I offer some suggestions for yourpersonal visit.
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Sharp Blades

Recently, I had a discussion
about pruning tools, brandnames and quality. Somejustreferredtohandle" pruners.

"redQuality

and value are important,like many other things wepurchase; you get what

Take the stroll alone. Maybe you have someone with you, but spend most of thetime in the garden by yourself.
Leave the phones and the books and other distractions in the car.
No pets, another distraction.
Walk slow and listen to the sounds...gravel under your feet, wind blowing throughthe foliage, sound of the creek water over the beaver dam. Do not listin to sounds
from outside the garden. Take a few minutes to relax.
Watch for the red tailed hawk or the blue heron, bees and lady bugs coming to theshelters we provide or on the blooms that have pushed out.
Notice the texture of the plant material and how one texture compliments anotherand how some contribute to the stabilization of the garden.
Let the colors attract your attention and take yourself closer to see how the blooms
are positioned on the plant and how they complement the surrounding area.
Take a seat on one of the benches. Each bench has a special view that will bedifferent from others and each will change throughout the day and throughout theyear.
Feel the temperature and take notice that it changes as you stroll through thegarden from one area to another.
Now you may be on your way back to the entrance and realize that the garden ischanging again as you begin to see and feel the same garden but from a different
prospective.

These are just a few suggestions of what is available to you at the garden. One lastsuggestion; as you walk back to the entrance, think about what you felt like when you cameto the garden, then think about how you feel now. The essence of a Japanese Garden is tobring differing feelings of calm, peace and tranquility to each visitor.

you pay for.

high end pruner is notnecessary when only useda couple of times a year or
may be abused by others.
This discussion will consistof long term use of pruning
shears.

Japanesemadepruning

tools seem to stay sharper
longer. It has to do withthe alloy of steel, heat
treatingand

thenormalizing process.

Thedifference is the grade ofsteel and the addition ofcertain elements that tools
are made of.
havecertainSteel alloys
elements

added to the mix that willcause the finished productto act or react in certain
ways.

Issue # 4

Certainly aOneof

thosequalities is being able toMarch 2016

Behind the Scenes:
This months’ “behind the scenes”
involves the construction of the bridge
and one of the key people involvedthat allowed the project to proceed.
In the early times of the project weneeded a way to machine the lumber
and were just plain running out ofoptions. The issue was having a space
and the industrial quality equipmentthat was capable of cutting, plaining
and sanding among other things to the"purple heart" lumber.
Having run out of the target highschools and college woodworking
spaces, I started looking for awoodworking organization, club or ashop that might allow us to use theequipment. This was a long shot. I
casually mentioned our dilemma to afriend and he said he knew of a person.
I am introducing Doug Mullins, theowner of Quality Woodworking Inc.
located in Gresham. Doug was not
only willing to allow our volunteers tocome in and manufacture thecomponents, but also offered his areas
for storage and be available forassistance if needed. I am sureeveryone has seen how big Mount
Hood is. Now you know how big
Doug's heart is. He was behind us andaccommodating every minute during
our project.
Doug was raised in Gresham, where hewas mentored into woodworking by
his grandfather and graduated fromBarlow High School. He learned more
about woodworking and began to excel
in the trade becoming the true
craftsman that he is. Whilecommunicating, coordinating work
times and seeing Doug work, I quickly
realized he is a true example of theword “craftsman”. Doug builds
custom cabinetry, cabinet stylefurniture, tables andentire kitchens. Afterthe 2008 crash Doug
chose to doCont. Sharp Blade:hold the edge. The heat treating

his projects without
employees and is located at Hogan andRoberts , which is so convenient to ourproject.

process has to do with theAfter starting his own business 29
years ago, Doug has a 4000 square ft.
shop with every industrial rated
woodworking machine you can thinkof. What bothers me is that he says hehas hobbies too, like watching hischildren's soccer games, camping andriding dirt bikes, I do not understandhow he has time. When I see theproducts that he puts out, it must takeforever to complete. Then I see him
finish one project and start another, I
realize it is the control he possesses. I
finally figured out that is part of thatworld, he not only is quality minded
but he knows how to get it done.

the heat off and allowing theIt is not my intention to advertise forDoug but finding a person like Doug I
don't mind sharing his abilities andwish I had met him a long time ago
because of the kind of person he is.

Some have issues with dulling

The Friends of Tsuru Island not only
thank Doug but are standing inapplause as this is written.

heating of the rough product toa certain temperature and for acertain period of time; turning
tool to cool for a certain periodof time which may include aquenching process. In short, thisisaprocessmolecules

soofthattheend

product will be as durable andlong lasting as possible.

TheJapanese makers of these andother tools choose to make theproduct out of the best suitedmaterial

withtheright

procedure possible for function
and longevity .

andtheblade

chipping.

crackingormake sure that thetool is not being used for wire
cutters or the blade as a screw
driver. This could result in thedullness or a cracking condition.
There are several manufacturers
whoarewillingtosell

replacement

bladeslikehot

cakes and the other will sell thewhole tool as you need it.
In the end the plant materialmust be considered in choosing
the correct equipment. Dull anddirty will never be good for theplants.
NEXT MONTH:Lawns Part 2

Questions / comments to:
gresham.japanese.garden@gmail.com
Issue # 4

aligning

March 2016

Friends of Tsuru Island has shirts
available for your purchase!
As you can see we have hired an
expensive model (Austin Card) to show
off these black with red print shirts
produced by CY Graphics. Hanes'
BEEFY-T 100 % pre-shrunk cotton. S, M,L, XLON SALE NOW $19.50 eachAll sales benefit the maintenance ofTsuru Island
Helpful Hint: soak your new shirt
in water with 1 cup of white
distilled vinegar and 2 tea spoonsof salt for 30 minutes to set thecolor and prevent fading andbleeding of dark colors. It will
make whites even brighter too.

Getting a Better Lawn...
has to do with consistency. Doing the rightthings at the right time and every time isthe key. Starting with the soil preparation tomaintenance efforts.
Grass plants are no different than caring forother yard plants. A one-thousand squarefoot lawn is going to have tens of
thousands of grass plants that all comefrom some type of seed.
The New Lawn...
Let's start with seed (this includes sod).
Different parts of the country will havedifferent types of grasses. Within those
types can be different versions of the seed
and all for different reasons. Just likecomputer technology, seed changes withnew advancements and industry needs.
For this article I will focus on the northwest.
Seed in the immediate area is highly
influenced by Oregon State University andthe growers in the Willamette Valley. In thenorthwest the primary type of seed isperennial rye and some fescue with most of
the premium products being a blend ofseeds. This is because certain seeds may
be affected in a negative way to theenvironment. If one grass does not survive
the rest will and so on. The growers of aIssue # 4

Order on-line
gresham.japanese.garden@gmail.com
VISA payments accepted

sod product do not know where the productwill be used and in what microenvironments. With this approach some ofthe seed product will thrive in heavy use
areas with part sun and others will work
better in low usage area with full sun
Remember that you get what you pay forwhen it comes to grass seed products.
Seed has a shelf life; so if you find it onsale check the expiration date. It will be
usually 2-3 years. The premium brands
are those that will have a name brand witha blend suited for the Willamette Valley.
There are three standard ways to create a
new lawn. They include establishment withseed, hydro-seed and sod. Regardless ofwhich one of these approaches you mightchoose the soil preparation will be thesame. Tilling, raking, rolling, amendments,fertilizer and dressing are the components.
One part of this scenario that is a moving
target is the amendments. This relates tocompost, lime, gypsum, sand and so on.
The compost is sometimes misleading
because of the type of soil in the area. If
the area has a top soil blend then thecompost may not be necessary. If the area
is heavy on the clay, less compost may bein order because it will retain moisture. So
by putting in more compost it may cause aproblem with too much water retention.

The seed approach is pretty basic,
good seed, good prep, rake somegrooves, apply the seed, add a coverproduct to hold the surface/seed if
heavy moisture takes place and roll
the area to push the seed into the soil.
Of course rolling and raking several
times before applying the seed willlevel the areas. The roller exposes theinconsistencies
The seed needs moisture andtemperature to germinate and when
the seed does germinate it cannot dryout. Watering depends on the time ofyear and cloud cover etc. Continue towater 2-4 times a day just to keep thesurface moist. As the grass plants matureand roots get set deeper and deeper into
the soil, the less water the plants will need.
This is all a based on observation andpaying attention.
You cannot apply weed control to newseeded lawn because the new grass plants
will be affected. Patience is the key here.
BEFORE planting grass seed let the weeds
grow. After a week to ten days spray theweeds with a non-selective herbicide thatwill kill off the weed (before they produce
new seeds). Do this at least two times.
Now that most of the weed seed has
germinated and are gone, the new grassseed can go down without the invasion of
all of those weeds.
Hydro-seed on the other hand is a bit lesslabor intense and forgiving because the mix
is coming in a large tank that is prepared toyour specifications. The tank contains theseed, water, lime, fertilizer and coverproduct with a green/blue tint. The color
makes no difference because it is just there
for the installer to see where they havebeen and where they need to go. The
solution is pumped through a hose to apply
the mix.
The same water application
applies here.

March 2016

Cont: Getting a Better Lawn

Sod on the other hand is very forgiving inmany ways. When the sod is down you
have your new lawn. One way that sod ismore forgiving has to do with weed seeds.
once the sod is down the weed seed will
not germinate and use the same benefits togrow big and healthy as the grass seed will.
Sod, depending on the grower, can have a
netting in it that helps with the harvestingand handling of the cut product. An added
benefit is that the netting may block thepath of moles that wish to surface in yourlawn. Even if you do not have a sod
product that is prepared in this fashion you
can still lay down netting under the seed
bed or the sod as an ounce of prevention,
no moles, no worries. Sod already has theroot system and the soil for the grass
plants to survive, however you will stillneed to add that water because the cut sod
patch is like a sponge soaking it up. Until
the roots go down into the mother soil
where the moisture is the patch of lawn will
be stressed and die. You can plan to mow
the lawn in about 10 days.

Project List:
Our newsletter audience includes volunteers from all three of our GESCA divisions;
the Garden, Skosh, and the Student Exchange Program. No one does these projects
alone. We have excellent support for graphic layout with drawings, pictures for theprojects progress, construction, woodworking, stone work, soil preparation, irrigation,
natural resources and composting, just to mention a few skill sets. These are allavailable through our volunteers.
oThe greenhouse installation coordinator is Karl Davis.

oThe pavilion machining and construction project coordinator is Kent Thompson.

oPlant material identification for Tsuru Island coordinator is Bill Peterson.
When do I do all of this...
Seed and Hydro-seed need to be planted
generally speaking after the last frost, late
April/May to the middle of October in thePacific Northwest. Before the last frost
there will be less germination and the restof the seed will be consumed by birds. Sodon the other hand can be laid anytime thesod grower will cut it. As long as theground is not frozen the green light is on. Ifthere is a freeze after the sod is laid thethaw will add to the moisture of the plants.

A new chain-link fabric for the fencing around the shoebox.
o the existing hardware will be used and painted blacko the areas can be upgraded in stages on different dayso the equipment is available
o if anyone knows a fence installer that will be appreciated
The lawn for the emergency path in-front of the shoebox.
o Needed is a commitment to keep watch over the lawn during theHOT months. Also to provide nutrients so that it will flourish.
Design and build a sign board that will display the schedules for educational
events and classes that will take place at the Garden and/or in the shoebox.
Materials and equipment are available.
Install an additional irrigation main line from the horseshoe area leading up to
the shoebox. (planning in progress for more than a year)
o The Dingo with a trencher is available.
o The pipe and glue for the installation are available.
o A team leader is needed. The knowledge needed is available to get
the project started and going.
Winter green has been installed in the general vicinity of the "Turtle" on Tsuru
Island. There are 5 left.
o Many more are needed for this area and will be available to beinstalled so that the area is filled in.
Materials have been purchased and sown and are currently at the screen
printers for banners to put on light poles between Main/Powell and Tsuru
Island.
o Coordinating the installation of the banners and installation ofbrackets that are provided by Parks and Recreation. This is a one
day project.
Thank you to all the volunteers that put forth
an effort to make this a wonderful environment

Issue # 4

March 2016