Thousands of blooming cherry trees in the nation’s capital are finally showing their pink and white petals. Residents and visitors say they are a welcome sign of spring.
“Looking at these blooms, it’s bringing a new energy and, you know, new excitement to DC,” said resident Gabrielle Winn, who walked along the Tidal Basin with her dog.
“I think we need it during these times. And I think it’s just nice to be calm and just be with nature and be with other people,” added Winn, who described the experience as a good mental health break.
This year, the peak bloom for the iconic pinkish white flowers is predicted to come between March 28 and 31, according to the National Park Service, which cares for the city’s 3,500 trees.
“What we see right now, there is a more noticeable pink hue to the trees as the petals are coming out. The Yoshino trees, when they are in bloom, the petals are almost pure white. So even though pink is the associated color with cherry trees and with the festival, the Yoshino themselves are much more white than they are pink,” said National Mall spokesperson Mike Litterst.
The cherry blossoms date back to a 1912 gift of 3,000 trees from the mayor of Tokyo, and the Japanese government remains involved in their care and in the annual festival celebrations. This year, there will be a Japanese Street Festival on April 12 and 13.
Visitors this year will have to contend with slightly diminished access to the Tidal Basin, home to the highest concentration of the trees.
The National Park Service is in the midst of a three-year renovation project to shore up the basin’s aging seawall in time for next summer’s anniversary.
As a result, parts of the basin will be off limits and fenced off. More than 100 of the trees had to be cut down as part of the project and will be replanted.
“We will be finished by next spring in time for America’s 250th anniversary. And this time next year, we’ll be planting more than 260 new cherry trees around the Tidal Basin,” Litterst added.
The Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 20 through April 13.