Following months of long, grey winter days, blossom is a sign of Spring which is celebrated around the world. In Britain among the first trees to blossom are the blackthorns and cherry plum which create a welcome white froth along the hedgerows and beside roads. But the most iconic flowers belong to cherry trees and Japan is the country most associated with festivals, known as Hanami in Japanese, to greet the spring and view the trees.
What is Hanami?
Hanami is a tradition dating back a thousand years which literally means ‘the viewing of flowers’ and celebrates the blooming of cherry blossom and plum blossom in parks and throughout the countryside in Japan.
Aristocratic Japanese wrote special poems called haiku about them.
They blossom and then
We gaze, and then the blossoms
Scatter, and then…
By Onitsura
Blossom festivals around the world
Blossom festivals are not solely the province of Japan, there are festivals in China, Taiwan, and Korea as well as in Europe and America in Washington, D.C. and Newark New Jersey, which has its own BloomCam showing views of the trees in real time.
When do trees blossom in the UK?
The UK has its own season of blossoming trees from blackthorn in late February through to rowan and hawthorn in June, with blossoming fruit trees appearing throughout the period. Taking inspiration from Japan, The National Trust has vowed to plant four million blossoming trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2030 as part of its wider tree-planting mission, as well as its Blossom Watch campaign, which encourages people to embrace the fleeting beauty of the trees each year.
In Birmingham six hundred blossom trees have been planted along the city’s number 11 bus route in January to create a “ring of blossom” around the city, The project is a reference to Birmingham’s botanical history when it was once known as a “town ringed by blossom” due to being surrounded by gardens and orchards in the mid-18th century.
In east London, the London Blossom Garden was opened in May 2021 to commemorate those who lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic. Many London parks are planted with blossoming trees but Greenwich, with its views of the river Thames and city skylines, is one of the best.
Fruit trees and flowering trees require careful management to be enjoyed at their best and our team of expert tree surgeons have a good deal of experience in pruning, crown lifting and dead wooding ornamental garden trees and would be delighted to offer free quotations and advice concerning your trees.
Take A Bough Tree Care
If you are in South West London and require the services of an experienced team of tree surgeons, please give us a call on 0207 871 31260 or 07968 597011 or by clicking the link above, or complete our contact form so we can get back to you about providing a free quotation for all your tree work – we will be very happy to hear from you!
