It’s cherry blossom time in Washington D.C.’s Tidal Basin. As weather patterns world-wide become warmer, the trees have been blooming earlier each year. But once again, despite my hopes to see the peak bloom, my departure from Washington was five days before that happened.
The annual Cherry Blossom Festival attracts over one million visitors each year. This is one aspect of tourism that I did not mind missing. The drive around the Tidal Basin was slow and laborious, and the pathways were equally crowded.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), over 3,000 Japanese Yoshino cherry trees were planted as a gift of friendship to the people of the U.S. by the people of Japan. The gift included 12 varieties of cherry blossom trees. The other eleven varieties were planted in East Potomac Park and at the White House.
While some of the trees have been replaced over the following one hundred twenty -five years, others have been regrown from cuttings and seedlings. The results of soil maintenance and pruning is an inspiration, restoring and maintaining the beauty today of this long-ago gift. Traditionally, cherry blossoms are a symbol of life’s brevity.
It is also cherry blossom time in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this week. As a visitor several years ago, I caught the peak bloom, only slightly marred by a rainstorm the night before.
Golden Gate Park in San Francisco also offers beautiful gardens and flowering trees. Each year I look forward to seeing the summer dahlias and the rose garden on my weekly walks. The magnolia trees in the SF Botanical Gardens recently put on a magnificent display. And now it is time for cherry blossoms.
The cherry trees in the Japanese Tea Garden in the park are currently in full bloom, proving once again that there is “no place like home.” While the trees are not as extensive as in Washington, D.C. or Brooklyn, they are equally beautiful.
The Japanese Tea Garden, according to its website, is “the oldest operating public Japanese Garden in North America.” It was created for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, and expanded in 1895. It has a long and not always happy history, but currently it is beautiful and thriving. It is a perfect place to find peace and tranquility, perhaps looking out over the garden with a cup of tea from the tea house. And best of all, it’s cherry blossom time!
