Cherry blossom trees and garden supplies

Here at nationalcherryblossom.com, we love cherry blossom trees and gardening. We are a purely informational site devoted to providing information on the Japanese cherry blossom and the Cherry blossom festival in Washington D.C. We do not sell anything here on our site and strive to provide completely unbiased information.

The cherry blossom tree is difficult to grow, so if you want to attempt it, you should either be an expert gardener, or consult with one to get some good garden tips. You will need to have some good garden supplies, and a great garden layout.

Most people have to content themselves with getting pictures of cherry blossom trees.

Roughly translated, the Japanese word for these trees, Sakura, means Japanese flowering cherry. This tree does not produce fruit however. The fruit-bearing cherry tree is a completely different species of tree. The Sakura’s name comes from the lovely light pink blossom they produce.

In Washington D.C. there are thousands of cherry blossom trees. This is because over 3,000 cherry blossoms were given to the U.S. by Japan to symbolize the friendship between the two countries before WWII. After WWII ended, another 3,800 of the trees were shipped to the U.S. to renew the friendship between the countries.

It is frightening to think that during WWII the cherry blossom tree were used to motivate kamikaze pilots. The blossoms of the tree last for a very short period of time, and to the Japanese they symbolize the transience of life. Branches containing the flowers were placed inside the fighter planes, and blossoms would be painted on the sides of the planes.

In times of peace, these flowers symbolize peace in earthly existence. But for a short time, they represented the ephemeral qualities of life for suicide mission pilots.

Thankfully, the meaning of these beautiful flowers has been positive ever since the end of the war. Now the thousands of trees create quite the spectacle each year as they bloom, then drop their petals to create a fleeting pink carpet in the Capitol.
Visitors from all over the world come to the tidal basin to see these trees bloom in early spring. There is even a huge festival to celebrate them. You can walk from the Smithsonian or the White House and see these trees in full display. TV crews cover the festival, and vendors set up all over to cater to the many tourists and locals that visit.

If you have the opportunity to see the cherry blossom trees in bloom, take it. It is an experience you will never forget. This spectacle is still a favorite for many Americans and Japanese alike.

 

 

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