Pruning Program

GJG is thrilled to offer pruning workshops taught by skilled aesthetic pruners.

The pruning program is designed for gardeners and landscape professionals interested in pruning for the health and aesthetics of the plant and landscape, while advancing your pruning and plant knowledge and skills.

Each course focuses on different aspects of pruning in regards to different plant material. See below. Check back often. New courses are added all the time.

Download the current pruning program courses.

Fall/Winter Courses

Assessing and Pruning an Overgrown Landscape: Saturday, November 23rd, 1pm-3pm: $45

Knowing where to begin managing an overgrown garden can be overwhelming. This workshop will take place at a residential home in Gresham (TBD) that speaks to the issues around this workshop. Instructor Francheska Snyder will walk you through first how to prioritize the tasks, how to prune based on the space and hardscape around. You will have the opportunity to observe while Francheska prunes a shrub and a specimen tree in this overgrown landscape. There will be time for questions too!

The location will be in Gresham for this pruning workshop. As soon as it is secured, registrants will receive an email. 

Francheska Snyder

Originally from Pennsylvania, Francheska Snyder is the current owner/operator of Niwa Method, a landscape contracting business specializing in Japanese gardens in the Portland area. She has previously worked in public non-profit gardens such as the Portland Japanese Garden, Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, and Wyck Historic House and Garden. She has participated in work-study opportunities assisting Japanese garden builds across the United States, in Italy, and in various regions of Japan. Francheska earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2009. She holds a certificate in Ornamental Horticulture from Longwood Gardens, a 3rd Term Master Level certificate from the Ohara School of Ikebana and is a recognized Chanticleer Scholar. She also uses her time and talent on the board of Leach Botanical Garden, and consulting and teaching for the Gresham Japanese Garden.

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 of rooting compounds. Norm will demonstrate, and you will prepare the cuttings from branches and sticks. Last Norm will share experience about aftercare and future transplanting of your cuttings. Class includes all the propagation materials: pots, soil, rooting compound, and plant tags.

​Norm Jacobs, instructor

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 “edible classrooms” 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 of which 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

​Norm Jacobs, instructor

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 “edible classrooms” 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 of which are propagated and grown from plants which have performed well in their SE Portland urban garden and nursery.

Pruning Fruit Trees, January 25, 2025 1pm-3pm: $45

Late winter pruning is a good time to prune fruit trees because it is dormant and easy to see the tree’s structure to decide which cuts to make, and you can rest assured knowing that the spring is not far off and your tree will soon be able to heal any wounds from pruning. Instructor Jonathan Faith will be demonstrate how to prune apple trees, cherry trees, and hopefully if Al’s Garden & Home has in stock, plum trees and Asian pear trees.

In addition to demonstrating how to prune each variety of fruit tree, Jonathan will discuss cross pollination, fertilizers, and fungicide and insecticide sprays. 

Don’t miss out too on a discount coupon to Al’s Garden & Home when you attend the class!

Jonathan Faith, instructor

Jonathan come from a deep history of being around a copious array of plants. For sixteen years, Jonathan helped manage his family’s small orchard in Hubbard, Oregon. They had all different varieties of fruit trees. Talking about fruit trees is one of Jonathan’s greatest pleasure!

Jonathan is currently the store manager at Al’s Garden & Home in Gresham.

Spring Candling of Pines: May 3, 2025: $45

Learn all about the why’s and how’s of pruning and candling pines. Laura will candle, needle, and prune a few pines at the Gresham Japanese Garden. This workshop is in person. Bring your gloves. Laura may turn the class into a collaborative session.

Laura Dufala

Laura Dufala has been in the nursery business for over 40 years working with Iseli’s Nursery for five years, and then with a local high-end retail nursery for 25 years. Meanwhile, she and her husband Tom, own and operate a niché cloud-pruned pine tree nursery in Boring, Oregon.

Laura is also experienced in bonsai, and aesthetic pruning of maples and other landscape plant material.

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 other suitable woody plants from cuttings. Instructor Norm Jacobs will explain plant physiology as it pertains to successful propagation, 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 future transplanting of your cuttings. Class includes all the propagation class materials: pots, soil, rooting compound, and plant tags.

​Norm Jacobs, instructor

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 “edible classrooms” 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 of which are propagated and grown from plants which have performed well in their SE Portland urban garden and nursery.

Workshop Cancellation Policy

We do not issue refunds on workshop registrations. 

If you register for a workshop and later become unable to attend, we will gladly offer a credit for your registration amount to use toward any future event if you notify us at least 24 hours before the workshop.

To cancel and request a credit, please email us at administrator@greshamjapanesegarden.com. Workshop credits are not redeemable for cash. Please note: Credits cannot be given for registrations for workshops hosted by visiting/out of town instructors. Due to the nature of these one-time-only workshops, all events hosted by special guests are subject to this policy. Thank you for understanding!

In the event a class is cancelled or rescheduled due to inclement weather, or any incident where GJG or its instructors are at fault, you will receive a credit to take another class at a later date.

About Our Policy

Our workshops require a great deal of pre-planning, including ordering supplies and tools, booking staff, and making commitments to pay our instructors — all based on the number of students who register. In fairness to all of our customers we are unable to make exceptions to our policy, including for reasons of illness, travel, or work hours. If you are unable to attend a workshop at the last minute, we suggest giving your spot to a friend!

Thank you for understanding!

The GJG Team