Gardening Workshops
Let our skilled gardeners start you on the path toward mastering essential techniques which can be put to good use in any garden, Japanese or Western. Each workshop combines live demonstrations, printed guide material, question-and-answer, and hands-on experience in a friendly, exploratory environment. Pack a lunch and feel free to bring your gardening gear, or swing by the Gift Store to pick up some new gear. These events are held rain or shine.
Nobedan Stone Pavement Workshop
Saturday & Sunday, September 21 & 22, 2013
Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. & Sunday 9 a.m.-noon
Garden House & Grounds
$150 members / $175 non-members
Reservations open August 27 @ 8 a.m.
Discover the unique stone pavement design and techniques utilized in Japan for stone pathway construction utilized primarily in tea gardens or noble man’s entries. The program begins with a lecture and illustration presentation by Garden Curator, Sada Uchiyama. Then you’ll work side by side with Sada and Head Gardener Michael Kondo to construct a nobedan path. Participants are asked to provide their own lunch.
Maple Pruning Demonstration
Saturday, October 12, 2013
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Pavilion & Grounds
$65 members / $85 non-members
Reservations open September 24 @ 8 a.m.
Pine Needling Demonstration
Saturday, October 26, 2013
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Pavilion & Grounds
$65 members / $85 non-members
Reservations open October 1 @ 8 a.m.
Learn all about how to care for your pine trees. Conducted by Head Gardener Michael Kondo and staff gardeners, this demonstration will explore specific pine pruning and needling techniques, shaping, and growth regulation. Limited hands-on practice will be provided. Participants are asked to provide their own lunch.
Kadomatsu Workshop: Making of Japanese New Year Decoration
Saturday, December 7, 2013
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Pavilion & Garden House
$80 members / $90 non-members
Reservations open November 12 @ 8 a.m.
Sho-Chiku-Bai or pine, bamboo and plum are three most conspicuous plants for the Japanese New Year. Far and wide in Japan, during the new year celebration, or Oshogatsu, you will find these plants at residential doorways and the entrances to temples, shrines, public and commercial facilities alike. They are kadomatsu or “the guardians of the gate” in various forms as the boughs of the three plants are tied together. A common interpretation goes: evergreen pine tree as the symbol of constancy and longevity; bamboo for its uprightness and resilience; and plum as purity and the first blossom in spring, providing the sense of renewal. The trio of plants accordingly occupies prominent positions in traditional Japanese gardens. The preparation of a kadomatsu is an important year-end task for a Japanese gardener. Participants are asked to provide their own lunch.
underwritten in part by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation