Washington, Mar 18: The capital is gearing up for Cherry Blossom Festival. Cherry blossoms are a sign of spring in the nation`s capital, and visitors who don`t take time to stop and smell the season`s flowers are missing both a visual and sensual treat.
"Nothing compares with the beauty of the early spring blooms in the national capital area," said David Ellis, spokesman for the American Horticultural Society. Daffodils, tulips and forsythia begin blooming in late March, although the cherry blossoms of the Tidal Basin generate the most headlines.
The AHS hosts "Washington Blooms" events throughout April at its George Washington River Farms headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington. Formal beds on the grounds erupt with the bold colors and vibrant pastels of spring as early as mid-March.
National Park Service officials have indicated that the peak bloom for the cherry blossoms will occur between March 24 and April 2. That`s when 70 percent of the 3,700 trees are expected to be visible. The bloom coincides with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs March 27 through April 11.
"There should be plenty of blossoms remaining on the trees Saturday, April 3, for the festival parade," said National Park Service spokesman Bill Line.
The trees are mostly descendants of those presented to the US by Japan in 1912 to mark 60 years of friendly relations. About 150 remain from the original stock, and the park service is propagating cuttings to maintain the historic connection.
US Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry signed the Treaty of Kanagawa establishing friendship and peace with Japan on March 31, 1854. Many of this year`s festival events commemorate that relationship.
Cultivating tourism
The annual cherry blossom festival has traditionally marked the beginning of the tourism season for the national capital region. The spring flower bonanza is a prelude to the May 27-30 opening weekend of the National World War II Memorial, and September`s grand opening of the Smithsonian`s National Museum of the American Indian.
The Tidal Basin cherry trees are only a small fraction of Washington`s flora. In fact, the nation`s capital is considered by many to be one of the most landscaped cities in the western world.The Capitol grounds are also home to the U.S. Botanic Garden and Bartholdi Park, where visitors can gather ideas on container gardening and landscaping for a typical urban or suburban landscape.
Bureau Report
