Cherry Blossoms: Spectacular Sensations of Spring

Each year, an estimated one million people come from around the world to view the spectacular sensations of spring in our Nation's capital. The 3,000 cherry trees given as a gift of friendship from Japan in 1912, explode with colored blossoms as spring officially announces its arrival in Washington D.C. This year, Chief Horticulturist of the National Park Service, Rob DeFeo, predicts the peak bloom period for the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park will be March 27 - April 3, 2008.

If you never traveled to Washington D.C. in the springtime to view the cherry blossoms, the azaleas, the tulips, and the many more spectacular sensations of spring, you can view the cherry blossom slideshow from my 2006 visit, titled Spectacular Sensations of Spring. The remarkable beauty of spring cherry blossoms envelops the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and other National Park Service treasures as if to remind us never to forget the history behind the beauty. Seeing these gifts from Japan among our monuments gives a feeling of pride, patriotism, and deep emotion that can hardly be described. It will take your breath away.

There is a rich history behind the cherry trees that line the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park in Washington D.C. The first 2,000 cherry trees were sent in 1910 from Japan as a gesture of goodwill and friendship. The trip was long however, and the trees became diseased and had to be burned. After hearing news of the tragedy, in 1912 Japan sent another 3,020 cherry trees, in 12 varieties, from the famous collection along the bank of the Arakawa River in Tokyo. This time, the cherry trees made it safely to Washington D.C. after which First Lady Taft and Viscountess Chinada planted the first two cherry trees. This ceremony marked the beginning of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the two original trees are still located along the northern bank of the Tidal Basin, several hundred yards west of the John Paul Jones statue.