Behind The Blooms – DC’s Cherry Blossom History

The History of the D.C. Cherry Blossoms
There is nothing as enchanting as Washington, D.C. in the spring. In late March each year, the gray East Coast winter recedes on the Potomac River as over 6,000 Japanese cherry trees burst into a thousand shades of pink. Washington, D.C. becomes a veritable sea of delicate spring blooms — blushing, round petals float through the air and line the streets of Georgetown, adding a tremendous splash of color to the famous Tidal Basin and providing stunning, unforgettable lushness and fragrance to the nation’s capital. In short, they’re pretty awesome. Japan did good. Wait, you didn’t know they were a gift from our Asian neighbor? Well, they are. And it’s quite a story.

Way back in 1885, a grand lady named Ms. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore (say that five times fast) had an equally grand idea. Having just returned from a trip to Japan, Mrs. Scidmore was still enthralled by her encounter with the “Sakura,” Japanese for “exalted flowering plants.” She found them so exquisite she wanted to import some to the United States. It didn’t happen. Not for a long time. It was not until 1912 that First Lady Helen Taft got on the cherry tree train. After many negotiations (and a bug-infested tree slipup), Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki authorized for over 3,000 trees to be taken from the famous collection along the bank of the Arakawa River and sent to Washington, D.C. As promised, by March of that year, 3,020 cherry trees arrived in D.C., ready to make their home along the Potomac River and bring their incredible beauty for years to come. Nobody could have known then how the symbolism of this goodwill gift would change just 30 years later.

If you know anything about world history (and we’re sure you do!), you know that on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the military base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, profoundly shocking and angering the American people and prompting the U.S. to enter World War II. Sadly, some of the anger resulting from Pearl Harbor was taken out on the trees. In an act of vandalism, an unknown suspect cut down four trees along the Potomac River in retaliation. The trees took on a darker meaning as the friendship with Japan was temporarily severed — nobody wants to see a reminder of betrayal from a former ally. To protect the trees (smart thinking), the U.S. started referring to them as “Oriental” flowering cherries during WWII.

On August 6, 1945, the United States deployed two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending World War II. After these devastating bombs, restoring friendship with Japan became a top priority, and during this time the cherry trees in D.C. became an even more important symbol of health and goodwill between the two countries. In this spirit, the Japanese government gave another generous gift of 3,800 of these Sakura to the wildlife-loving Lady Bird Johnson in 1965. Over the years other trees were planted, bringing the total to over 7,000 gorgeous, floating pink trees in the city. They are an important symbol not only of the United States’ friendship with Japan, but also of the return of spring to the United States. And, of course, such an important symbol deserves an equally special celebration!

If you want to experience the transcendent beauty of these thousands of trees, you will want to consider visiting during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Held over three weeks from late March to mid-April each year, the Cherry Blossom Festival is a joyful celebration of spring. The festival will make your visit to the nation’s capital even more special — diverse and creative programming celebrates Japanese and American art and culture, natural beauty and generous community spirit. Most of the events are free and completely open to the public. The Blossom Kite Festival is a real standout, as thousands of kites fly around the Washington Monument, and you can enjoy the aerial beauty for free. You also won’t want to miss the fireworks festival on the Southwest Waterfront. This free event offers eight hours of music, water activities, cultural experiences and various food vendors, topping off with a spectacular fireworks show. And these are just a few of the events — there’s also rare sake tastings, a parade and, of course, thousands upon thousands of some of the world’s most beautiful flowers to enjoy all spring long.

Whether you come at the beginning or tail end of cherry blossom season, you can expect to enjoy the rich history of these gorgeous flowers. For a century, they have graced Washington, D.C. and all the visitors there, and will hopefully remain a symbol of forgiveness, goodwill and beauty for centuries to come.

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