Written in 2012
We hoped to hit the cherry blossoms at their peak this year. We missed out a few years ago. We were too early in Japan, and too late in Washington, DC. The blossoms arrived early this year due to mild weather. We missed it again! (We did hit peak bloom day in Washington, DC a few years later!!) The photos above prove it.
We hit the cusp of the Cherry Blossom or sakura in Japan last year in March (2009). We were probably about a week early. Though we caught a glimpse, here and there, it is nothing like we are expecting in Washington, DC this week. So, I will load up on my allergy pills, nasal spray, and eye drops in preparation for the onslaught of beautiful pink and white blossoms that line the nation’s capital. Now, we are most a week late. So few left, that I could not even bear to take a photo.
As last calculated, the peak bloom date was March 20-23. We did not arrive until April 4. The Peak Bloom Date is defined as the day in which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) trees are open. The date when the Yoshino cherry blossoms reach peak bloom varies from year to year, depending on weather conditions. Cherry Blossom Festival dates are set based on the average date of blooming (April 4), but nature is not always cooperative. Unseasonably warm and/or cool temperatures have resulted in the Yoshino cherries reaching peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958).
According to the National Park Service, the Blooming Period is defined as the period that starts when 20% of the blossoms are open and ends when the petals fall and the leaves appear. The Blooming period starts several days before the Peak Bloom Date and can last as long as 14 days; however, frost or high temperatures combined with wind and/or rain can shorten this period.
The plantings of cherry trees originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan. In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or “Sakura,” is an exalted flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a potent symbol equated with the evanescence of human life and epitomizes the transformation of Japanese culture throughout the ages.
In 1885, Mrs. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, upon returning to Washington from her first visit to Japan, approached the U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, with the proposal that cherry trees be planted one day along the reclaimed Potomac waterfront. Her request fell on deaf ears. Over the next twenty-four years, Mrs. Scidmore approached every new superintendent, but her idea met with no success.
Finally in 1906, Dr. David Fairchild, plant explorer and U.S. Department of Agriculture official, imported seventy-five flowering cherry trees and twenty-five single-flowered weeping types from the Yokohama Nursery Company in Japan. He planted these on a hillside on his own property in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he attempted to test their hardiness.
In 1907, The Fairchilds, pleased with the success of the trees, began to promote Japanese flowering cherry trees as the ideal type of tree to plant along avenues in the Washington area. Friends of the Fairchilds also became interested and on September 26, arrangements were completed with the Chevy Chase Land Company to order three hundred Oriental cherry trees for the Chevy Chase area.
A year later, Dr. Fairchild gave cherry saplings to children from each District of Columbia school to plant in their schoolyard for the observance of Arbor Day. In closing his Arbor Day lecture, Dr. Fairchild expressed an appeal that the “Speedway” (no longer existing, but marked by portions of Independence and Maine Avenues, SW and East and West Basin Drives, SW, around the Tidal Basin) be transformed into a “Field of Cherries.” In attendance was Eliza Scidmore, to whom he referred later as a great authority on Japan.
Mrs. Scidmore decided to try to raise the money required to purchase the cherry trees and then donate them to the city. As a matter of course, Mrs. Scidmore sent a note outlining her plan to the new first lady, Helen Herron Taft. Mrs. Taft had lived in Japan and was familiar with the beauty of the flowering cherry trees. Two days later the first lady responded:
The White House, Washington
April 7, 1909Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees, but I thought perhaps it would be best to make an avenue of them, extending down to the turn in the road, as the other part is still too rough to do any planting. Of course, they could not reflect in the water, but the effect would be very lovely of the long avenue. Let me know what you think about this.
Sincerely yours,
Helen H. Taft
The day after Mrs. Taft’s letter of April 7, Dr. Jokichi Takamine, the Japanese chemist who discovered adrenaline and takadiastase, was in Washington with Mr. Mizuno, Japanese consul in New York. When he was told that Washington was to have Japanese cherry trees planted along the Speedway, he asked whether Mrs. Taft would accept a donation of an additional two thousand trees to fill out the area. Mr. Midzuno thought it was a fine idea and suggested that the trees be given in the name of the City of Tokyo. Dr. Takamine and Mr. Midzuno met with the first lady, who accepted the offer of the 2,000 trees.Five days after Mrs. Taft’s request, the Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, Colonel Spencer Cosby, U.S. Army, initiated the purchase of ninety Fugenzo Cherry Trees (Prunus serrulata “Fugenzo”) from Hoopes Brothers and Thomas Co., West Chester, PA. The trees were planted along the Potomac River from the site of the Lincoln Memorial southward toward East Potomac Park. After planting, it was discovered that the trees were not named correctly. The trees were determined to be the cultivar Shirofugen (Prunus serrulata “Shirofugen”) and have since disappeared. The Japanese Embassy informed the Department of State that the City of Tokyo intended to donate to the United States two thousand cherry trees to be planted along the Potomac River. On December 10, 2000 trees arrived in Seattle from Japan. On January 6, 1910, the trees arrived in Washington, DC. To everyone’s dismay, an inspection team from the Department of Agriculture discovered that the trees were infested with insects and nematodes, and were diseased. To protect American growers, the department concluded that the trees must be destroyed. President Taft gave his approval to burn the trees. The probable diplomatic setback was alleviated by letters from the Secretary of State to the Japanese Ambassador expressing the deep regret of all concerned. Dr. Takamine and the Mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, met the distressing news with determination and good will.Dr. Takamine again donated the money for the trees, whose number had been increased to 3,020. The scions for these trees were taken in December 1910 from the famous collection along the bank of the Arakawa River in Adachi Ward, a suburb of Tokyo, and grafted onto specially selected understock produced in Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture. On March 26, 3,020 cherry trees arrived in Washington, D.C. The trees were comprised of the following varieties:
“Somei-Yoshino” ……………………………..1,800
“Ari ake”…………………………………………….100
“Fugen-zo”………………………………………….120
“Fuku-roku-ju”…………………………………….. 50
“Gyo-i-ko”………………………………………….. 20(The Gyoiko were all planted on the White House Grounds)
“Ichiyo”……………………………………………..160
“Jonioi”……………………………………………….80
“Kwan-zan”………………………………………..350
“Mikurumagayeshi”………………………………20
“Shira-yuki”………………………………………. 130
“Surugadainioi”…………………………………….50
“Takinioi”…………………………………………..140
Total………………………………………………..3,020 A day later, Helen Herron Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin, about 125 feet south of what is now Independence Avenue, SW. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the first lady presented a bouquet of “American Beauty” roses to Viscountess Chinda. Washington’s renowned National Cherry Blossom Festival grew from this simple ceremony, witnessed by just a few persons. These two original trees still stand several hundred yards west of the John Paul Jones Memorial, located at the terminus of 17th Street, SW. Situated near the bases of the trees is a large bronze plaque which commemorates the occasion. That is probably more than you ever wanted to know about the trees. People here are very proud of the trees, even the ex pats. Good night, Chet. Side note: Everyone says to head north in our effort to catch the blossoms. It is colder up toward Maryland, right, Marilyn? Maybe they are just trying to get rid of me! No blossoms here! Must try elsewhere.
Fast forward to 2021 : Just happy to be here on the east coast, able to travel safely.
Note #2: The National Park Service has estimated that peak bloom will be in the first week of April (2021) when around 70% of the blossoms will be open!
Note #3: According to the National Park Service, the peak bloom for the cherry blossoms is expected to take place between April 2 and 5 this year, depending on weather conditions. The peak bloom date for DC’s cherry blossoms is defined as the day on which 70% of the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin are open, but visitors are urged not to descend in droves on the area given the restrictions on large gatherings.
For me, the cherry blossoms, regardless of location, are a joy to behold. We have them in the nearby farms back home, here on the Potomac, and Japan. Enjoy them wherever you are!
Each year that I visit, I end up here a few days earlier than the year before. This year, I arrive April 2!!!
But then, read this!!!
Washington D.C.’s famous cherry blossoms are expected to reach peak bloom by March 22 to March 25, a prediction that — if it holds — will mark one of the earliest dates the flowers have reached that stage.
The prediction, which was made by the National Park Service on Wednesday, is when the agency expects 70 percent of cherry trees will be in bloom. The forecast follows an unseasonably warm winter with very variable conditions that have ranged from spring-like days to snow storms.Tell you what? I give up, this is my last attempt to see peak bloom day.
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