10 things you should know about cherry blossoms

Cherry blossom season is coming! Millions of people from all over the world attend cherry tree festivals to see these beautiful pink flowers. As spring approaches at its best, we’ve rounded up 10 facts about the cherry trees and flowers that make up this incredible landscape. Let’s look at the details together.

1. Sakura doesn’t grow everywhere

Yoshino, which is called sakura in Japan, and Kyoto’s cherry blossoms are famous all over the world. Tourists flock to the country every spring to try this centuries-old activity called khanami or “flower watching”. Outside Japan, Washington DC, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis. Cherry blossoms grown in St. Louis, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston are also beautiful in their own way. The flowers grow in Brazil and Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, but can also be seen in parts of Europe and Asia.

2. Georgia USA is considered the world capital of cherry blossom! Of course, only one country makes this claim.

Believe it or not, the city of Macon in central Georgia is considered the “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World” according to the records of the US Congress.

In Japan, Yoshino has 350,000 cherry trees, while Washington has less than 4,000. The two cities have had an amusing rivalry for years over the Cherry Blossom Festival. “They may have more trees than us, but we are proud of our holiday.” he summarizes the situation.

3. There are hundreds of varieties of cherry trees.

It is estimated that there are over 600 species of cherry trees in Japan. Some trees bear fruit, others only bloom. The cherry tree changes color during the flowering phase. One cultivar called Kanzan was specifically bred to have a “double flower” or 28 leaves per flower.

4. Cherry trees don’t last long

The cherry tree blooms on average in one to two weeks. But the flowers retain their bright color for only 3 days. Therefore, if your path falls on a place where cherry blossoms and you want to see this beautiful view, you need to plan your trip well. Flowers in DC begin to appear in March, and peak bloom (when 70 percent of the flowers are in bloom) usually occurs in late March or early April.

5. Global warming may cause cherry trees to bloom earlier

Some experts suggest that as the planet gradually warms up, trees begin to bloom earlier and more often. University of Washington ecophysiologist D. Soo Hyun Kim says that when we reach 2080, DC flowers may start blooming in February.

In 2021, cherry blossoms in Japan began on March 26. This was the earliest flowering date in 1200 years.

6. Picking cherry blossoms is considered a crime in Washington.

If you happen to be in Washington DC, don’t pick cherry blossoms to take home as a souvenir. Cherry trees in the District of Columbia are considered federal property. Therefore, if you break a tree branch or pick a flower, you can be arrested for damaging state property. Needless to say, tree climbing is also illegal. If a branch of a cherry tree is damaged, new flowers will never bloom on that branch again. Better not to touch them at all.

7. All the first Japanese cherry trees to reach America died.

In 1909, Japan offered to send 2,000 cherry trees to America as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. Just a few years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt helped Japan end the Russo-Japanese War. However, this proposal, although well-intentioned, ended in disaster. When the trees arrived in DC in January 1910, they were weakened by excessive root pruning and the tree was infested with insects. Despite attempts at rescue, the trees unfortunately died.

8. Cherry trees in a park in the Netherlands have unique names.

The 400 cherry trees in the largest park in the Netherlands have their own unique names. Half of them have traditional Dutch female names, and the other half have Japanese female names. The Japanese Women’s Club donated these trees to the Netherlands in 2000.

9. Both flowers and leaves of cherry trees are edible.

In Japan, not a single part of the cherry tree is thrown away. The leaves are used as edible wrappers for mochi (rice cake stuffed with sweet bean paste). Many sweets, snacks and snacks contain sakura. Some generic brands such as Pepsi, Coca Cola, and even Starbucks release sakura flavored products exclusively for Japan.

10. The World’s Largest LEGO Cherry Tree Sets a Record

LEGOLAND Japan, a theme park in Nagoya, set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for the largest LEGO cherry tree ever built. This tree was 4.2 meters long, weighed 3,175 kilograms, and consisted of over 800,000 LEGO pieces.