What is mottainai?
Mottainai (pronounced “moh-tah-ee-nai“) is an old Japanese concept that reflects the idea that we should respect all objects and not waste them. The term is loosely translated as “what a waste.” The word expresses the feeling of regret for an object losing its...
Gresham’s Ebetsu Plaza shines with a ‘Cherry Blossom Glow’
The Outlook: March 31, 2024 On a windy spring evening, a hundred community members experienced an ethereal event, listening to traditional music while illuminated blossoms fell among them like snow. The Japanese have a word for what Gresham enjoyed: “Yozakura,” which...
You Never Know…
By Sue Hughes One form of revenue for the Gresham Japanese Garden is renting out Tsuru Island. Most of our rentals are for graduation photos, weddings, or a celebration of life. Well, this one had me. A gentleman, Andrew, rented Tsuru Island for four hours for a movie...
Red Pine Bonsai
Pruning a Blue Spruce
By Sue Hughes, Gresham Japanese Garden Pruner My assignment from Jim Card was to prune this Picea pungens glauca, blue spruce into pads. I've been reading a lot about the right and wrong way to prune a conifer into pads, but I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle...
What to do with your scorched plants?
Pines In the case of your pine shrubs, as you can see by this one that faces the southwest, it's extremely scorched. This top layer of burnt needles is still protecting the branches underneath and they are not dead branches. You can check for dead branches by scraping...
Watering Plants During a Heatwave
Watering Your Plants During a Heatwave Watering is tricky during a heat wave – or more specifically, getting the water into the plant. This largely depends on the ability of your soil to hold water. Clay, loamy, or sandy soils will all perform differently. Soil must...
A Lesson on Pine Trees
A Lesson on Pines As a pine tree ages, interior and low branches die off from lack of light and energy. To keep a pine tree healthy, spring candling, winter needling, and cutting out branches to retain its shape are necessary. Before pruning, you first study the...
Sakura in Japanese Culture
Sakura in Japanese Culture By Mary DicksonThey blossom, and thenWe gaze, and then the bloomsScatter, and then…(Onitsura, poet) Beyond the beauty of sakura, the national flower of Japan, lies deep symbolism for the nation and its people.One of my Japanese friends said,...
What’s wrong with this tree?
When you walk through Main City Park past Tsuru Island towards the entrance to Springwater Trail, is where Gresham Japanese Garden's Resource Center is located. Now that you're oriented, in front of the Resource sits this tree. It's a 25-year old Shishigashira...
Developing Ambleside Annex
The History of Ambleside The name Ambleside comes from the Ambleside Summer Homes built in the 1900s off of Johnson Creek by the brick plant on Hogan. The name Ambleside was borrowed from a village in England’s Lake District, which attracted artists, poets, and others...
Organic Vegetable Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide
There's something quaint about gardening. And it isn't just touching the earth; it's the intimacy of tending to plant life. More and more people are gravitating towards starting their own gardens not just for hobby's sake, but also for sustainability. Home gardening...
Pollinators: Nature’s Gardeners
As children, we've been fascinated by birds, bees, and flowers, knowing little about their interrelation in nature. But as we mature, our fascination evolves into deep admiration and respect for the complex yet beautiful part they take in pollination. Whether it's the...
Dancing Cranes Join Ebetsu Plaza
Dancing Cranes Sculpture This story is narrated by Jim Card. Jim had come across a picture on Pinterest showing a picture of dancing cranes in a flock. One day he was talking to Bill Peterson, our resident photographer, and showed him the photo and a video and they...
There are Better Ways to Prune Your Bushes
Spring is a good time to prune most of the trees, shrubs, and evergreens in your yard. Unfortunately for many homeowners AND landscapers this means getting out the power shears and whacking back the bushes into balls and boxes. While the resulting “Green Meatballs”...
Custom-engraved Touchstone Pavers
Its 2019 and the Touchstone paver committee is ready to sell some pavers and complete the walkway at Ebetsu Plaza!
Japanese Culture
One of the garden's volunteers felt this video shows a bit of the type of Japan he was exposed to during visits on and off over 50 years. The subject is well presented.
Cities United in Nature
Gresham celebrates completion of Ebetsu Plaza. Read article from The Outlook.
KATU 2 Story on Gresham’s Japanese Garden
10 Trees in 10 Parks for 10 Years!
10 Trees in 10 Parks for 10 Years! The Garden celebrated Arbor Month April 5th as we begin our 10th years as a Tree City USA. The 10 Akebono cherry trees graciously donated by our friends at J. Frank Schmidt Nursery, were planted in the newly broken ground...
Spring 2018 Pruning Class
Dear Northwest Pruners, We had a great time discussing Northwest Native plants at the last pruning meeting in January. We talked about which ones respond well to pruning and which ones work well in a garden context. They were not always the same! This spring there are...
Kichler Lighting
February 2018
We can never take for granted the gifts that the Garden is provided from individuals and companies that have provided our materials. One of those companies is Kichler Lighting, providing us with our low voltage LED lighting in the Garden. As one of the most significant thing that has taken place in 2017, we want to recognize the lighting donations that have come from Tom Rowe at Kichler.
Community Involvement in Gresham
January 2018
One of the ways to look at community involvement is to find ways that you can assist in the community and find ways that they can help your organization. Over the past few years while rebuilding the Garden and establishing its programs, our involvement around the City has been mostly committed to our area of Main City Park.
Donated Trees from J. Frank Schmidt Nursery
January 2017
From the very beginning of the Garden rebirth, J. Frank Schmidt Nursery has been providing us with trees. After a visit from the Schmidt family in 2012, we were provided maples of several varieties as an offering for the Garden redesign. All of those maples have been installed and are thriving. We noted that gift with a plaque that was installed on the recognition pedestal at the east end of the Garden.
Our Garden for 2017
December 2017
We have a tendency to think back over the year around the new year time for many parts of our lives. At the Garden that happens more often during the year as we update readers of our newsletter and make announcements to our volunteers.
Fundraising for Ebetsu Plaza
November 2017
For several months discussions have taken place about the area in front of the Resource Center. One of the challenges has been the emergency lane that runs through this area. Expanding the paved area would include the fire lane and part of the grass area. The addition of cherry trees would also add to our cultural goal for Tsuru Island.
Japanese American Citizens League Garden History
This is where the story begins in regards to the Gresham Japanese Garden. The island was free standing and as part of the project, a bridge had been built to connect the mainland and the island and area was most likely just called the island. This piece of land was...
Flooding affects the Japanese Garden at Main City Park
December 6, 2015
Monday, December 6, 2015 turned out to be an alarming day for residents all over the Portland area.
Grassroots Japanese Garden in Gresham
The Oregonian | Dec. 1, 2015
A tiny public Japanese garden in Gresham, once threatened to be dismantled, has been rejuvenated by a group of volunteers dedicated to providing a peaceful escape from modern-day momentum.
Read entire article.
