Aki Nakanishi our Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, & Education, talks with the head gardeners for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to maintain this garden treasure.
What is candling?
It is selectively removing or reducing the size of the candles (or “buds”) to slow or restrict the growth of the tree itself during this active spring growth season. By suppressing the buds, our gardeners are able to maintain the distinctive shape of our pine trees.
5 Comments
I would sure like to see the proper pruning of Japanese Wisteria to insure many blooms! I have had a landscape Japanese wisteria for 20 years and have only had 6 blooms in all that time. I have spur pruned each fall/winter but to no avail.
We enjoyed this you should do more of them. It is difficult to get into the workshops so this is a nice alternative. I would enjoy one on pruning the maples. Thanks
BE nice to know how old the red pine is which is being candling?
It is a pleasure to see both Sada and Hiro both pruning together on the same tree. In my mind both are probably the best Japanese Garden maintenance experts of the modern day world. Their attention to detail is why the Portland Japanese Garden is rated so highly. Keep up the great work.
I can’t imagine how long this must take them…, and the number of trees they must tend to