Pruning Flowering Shrubs
2026-05-02 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | GJG Ebetsu Plaza, 219A S Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97030, United States
Are you wondering why your rhododendrons or azaleas aren’t blooming like they should? Or, aren’t growing like you want them to? Join Jim Card, Garden Director, for a hands-on demonstration covering the fundamentals of pruning flowering shrubs.
You’ll learn:

How and where to make the right cuts
When to prune to encourage flowers, not remove them
How to balance aesthetics with plant health

Gather around Gresham Japanese Garden’s Ebetsu Plaza for this free seminar
219A S Main Avenue
Gresham, OR 97030
Free and open to the community.

Spring Candling Pines
2026-05-03 13:00 - 15:00 | 30529 SE Wheeler Road Boring OR 97009
Join Laura Dufala, owner of Bentwood Tree Farm, as she guides you through the why’s and how’s of candling pines. Learn about the importance of timing, balance, and health in creating beautifully structured pine trees.
Location: This workshop will take place Bentwood Tree Farm in Boring, Oregon.
Learn how to:

Identify and manage the apical candle
Determine which candles to remove for ideal structure
Know when to break versus when to remove the entire candle
Combine candling, needle pruning, and branch pruning for healthy growth
Understand how each technique affects the tree’s energy and growth pattern

Laura will work on a variety of pine species at her farm during this in-person workshop. Bring your gloves — Laura may turn the class into a collaborative session!
Whether you’re a home gardener or a landscape professional, this course offers high-level pruning techniques to candle pines for successful structure.
This workshop is certified by the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board. Licensed landscape construction professionals receive three Continuing Education Hours (CEH).

2026 The Art of Bonsai: May-Sat
2026-05-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Kyoudou Center, 219 S. Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97080
Spring Pine Work
In this hands-on workshop, Bonsai Master Bobby Curttright will teach how to manage pine growth for bonsai this spring. He will cover single and multi-flush species, with a focus on decandling techniques to shape and maintain healthy, beautiful pines. Your take-home project will be a Pinus thunbergii.
This workshop it will be held in the Gresham Japanese Garden’s beautiful Kyoudou Center at 219A S Main Avenue, Gresham, OR 97030.
All tools, soil, and materials will be provided.
Note on Fees: The workshop fee is $40, plus $15 for trees, container and other supplies. To continue offering a high-quality, project-based bonsai program and cover material costs, the Garden has made the difficult decision to adjust the workshop fee. Class size has also been reduced to allow for more individualized instruction.
Gift certificates available here.

2026 The Art of Bonsai: May-Thurs
2026-05-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Kyoudou Center, 219 S. Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97080
Spring Pine Work
In this hands-on workshop, Bonsai Master Bobby Curttright will demonstrate how to manage pine growth for bonsai this spring. He will cover single and multi-flush species, with a focus on decandling techniques to shape and maintain healthy, beautiful pines. Your take-home project will be a Pinus thunbergii.
This workshop it will be held in the Gresham Japanese Garden’s beautiful Kyoudou Center at 219A S Main Avenue, Gresham, OR 97030.
All tools, soil, and materials will be provided.
Note on Fees: The workshop fee is $40, plus $15 for trees, container and other supplies. To continue offering a high-quality, project-based bonsai program and cover material costs, the Garden has made the difficult decision to adjust the workshop fee. Class size has also been reduced to allow for more individualized instruction.
Gift certificates available here.

2026 The Art of Bonsai: June-Thurs
2026-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Kyoudou Center, 219 S. Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97080
Buxus Forest Planting (Yose-ue)
Join us in creating a Yose-ue. This workshop will be using a Buxus sempervirens for its forest planting (Yose-ue) session. The Buxus sempervirens also known as Common Boxwood evokes the quiet feeling of a natural woodland in miniature. By arranging multiple boxwood trees of different heights, the composition creates the illusion of a mature grove with a clear sense of depth and perspective.
Boxwood is well suited to this style thanks to its small leaves, dense branching, and strong tolerance for pruning, allowing the canopy to be refined and maintained at scale over time. Careful placement of the trees—often in odd-numbered groupings with varied spacing—helps create a natural rhythm and visual movement through the forest.
As the planting matures, selective pruning will develop a cohesive canopy while preserving open spaces that suggest light filtering through the woodland. The result is a tranquil landscape that captures the harmony of trees growing together.
This workshop it will be held in the Gresham Japanese Garden’s beautiful Kyoudou Center at 219A S Main Avenue, Gresham, OR 97030.
All tools, soil, and materials will be provided.
Note on Fees: The workshop fee is $40, plus $15 for tree, container and additional supplies.
Gift certificates available here.

2026 The Art of Bonsai: June-Saturday
2026-06-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Kyoudou Center, 219 S. Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97080

2026 The Art of Bonsai: July-Thursday
2026-07-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Kyoudou Center, 219 S. Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97080
Bonsai Styling: Prunus emarginata
In this workshop you will style Prunus emarginata, the Pacific Northwest native bitter cherry. Known for its delicate spring flowers, developing bark character, and graceful branching, this species makes an elegant and regionally meaningful bonsai.
Bobby will focus on covering techniques that are useful on various flowering and fruiting trees that are commonly used in bonsai. Participants will learn how to establish the tree’s primary structure through thoughtful pruning and branch selection. Bitter cherry often produces long shoots, making selective pruning an important technique
This workshop it will be held in the Gresham Japanese Garden’s beautiful Kyoudou Center at 219A S Main Avenue, Gresham, OR 97030.
All tools, soil, and materials will be provided.
Note on Fees: The workshop fee is $40, plus $15 for tree, container and additional supplies.
Gift certificates available here.

2026 The Art of Bonsai: July-Saturday
2026-07-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Kyoudou Center, 219 S. Main Avenue, Gresham, OR, 97080
