The NAJGA Japanese Garden Podcast

We’re excited to announce a new NAJGA podcast episode featuring a special conversation with three NAJGA Presidents: Benjamin Chu (current president), Jeanette Schelin ( past president), and Michelle Day-Miles (incoming president). In this thoughtful roundtable, our presidents reflect on their personal journeys with NAJGA and explore the organization’s evolving priorities—from governance and fundra...

In this edition of the NAJGA Podcast , host Ben Chu —NAJGA President and Horticultural Manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden —offers a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming 7th NAJGA International Japanese Garden Conference , taking place October 15–18 at MoBot . Joining him are three special guests: Dr. Kendall Brown , Professor of Asian Art History at CSU Long Beach, founding NAJGA member, a...

Learn more about our guests and see pictures of Amache at: najga.org/amache In this special episode of the NAJGA podcast, hosts Jan Liverance and Marisa Rodriguez are joined by two remarkable guests—Dr. Bonnie Clark and Greg Kitajima—for a moving conversation about gardens, resilience, and the enduring legacy of Amache. Dr. Bonnie Clark is professor and curator for archaeology in the University of...

Check out our final podcast of 2024, an interview with renowned Garden Designer, Hoichi Kurisu and his daughter, Michiko Kurisu. Hoichi Kurisu is President and Founder of Kurisu LLC. He has been designing and building gardens for nearly 50 years. His daughter, Michiko, is a NAJGA Board Member and Project Coordinator and Public Relations at Kurisu LLC. The podcast is hosted by Steven Pitsenbarger,...

NAJGA Board Member & Director of Japan Institute at Portland Japanese Garden Aki Nakanishi, was recently in London. Listen to his powerful interview with Director Richard Deverell of Kew Gardens. Kew Gardens is the largest botanical institution in the world. This unscripted interview that took place during Aki’s informal visit to Director Deverell’s office at Kew, is an impactful statement of...

Check out our latest podcast on DIY gardens. Our host, Phil Pochoda, a private garden owner from New England, interview Nikolai Loveakis and Jeanne Kay Guelke about their gardens. You can listen here and see pictures of Nikolai and Jeanne’s gardens here: najga.org/diygardens

In this episode of the NAJGA podcast, Nick Esthus discusses climate change, sustainability and water conservation with Barrie Agar, Head Gardener Emeritus, Royal Roads University, Victoria, British Columbia, and Terri Clay, Horticultural Supervisor of the Japanese Garden at Lotusland, Santa Barbara, California.

In this episode of the NAJGA podcast, Shayna discusses the art, craft and heart of Japanese garden design with Tim Gruner, who shares his extensive knowledge and experiences related to pine trees and pine pruning in Japanese gardens. They explore various aspects of pine shaping, training, pine pruning, the differences between bonsai, niwaki or garden trees, the importance of space in Japanese gard...

In this podcast episode, host Shayna Price explores the world of Japanese dry gardens, or karesansui, with guest Heather Grzybek, the garden curator at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Florida. Heather shares her background and journey into Japanese garden design, highlighting the unique aspects of their contemporary take on a dry garden there. They discuss the challenges of maintaining...

Welcome to the NAJGA Official Podcast, the ultimate resource for Japanese garden enthusiasts. The official podcast of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) explores the art, craft, and heart of Japanese garden design. Join Shayna as she engages in unscripted conversations with experts and enthusiasts about everything related to Japanese gardens. In this episode, Shayna sits down w...