Japanese-Style Pruning Workshop

Ben Schrepf is leading a Japanese-style pruning workshop at the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix on Saturday, October 24. Schrepf is the garden's curator, so this is one of those rare chances to get a look at how the place is actually maintained from the person who does the work. The session runs from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM, with check-in starting at 9:15 AM.

The morning starts with a tour of the garden, and then Schrepf moves into the pruning itself. He'll cover the general concepts of Japanese gardens before getting into the specific techniques: pine pruning, shrub styles like tamamono and karikomi, the rejuvenation of older plant material, and sukashi, which is the art of thinning. It's a good spread, moving from the big-picture philosophy of the space down to the actual cuts.

The garden itself sits in Margaret T. Hance Park at 1125 N 3rd Ave, right on top of the I-10 Tunnel. It's meant to bring the essence of Japan to the desert, celebrating the spirit of understanding and promoting educational and cultural awareness between the East and the West. The workshop is $30 plus a $1.05 service fee, and that includes admission to the garden.