essay about tree cherry

Advertisement

The Very Short, Symbolic Life of the Cherry Blossom

• Share Content on Facebook
• Share Content on LinkedIn
• Share Content on Flipboard
• Share Content on Reddit
• Share Content via Email

In Japan , the annual spring explosion of blushing pink cherry blossoms has been celebrated for more than 1,200 years. The western world came late to the cherry blossom party, but now there are cherry blossom festivals around the world — in Sweden, Canada, Spain and more — as well as the long-running National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. scheduled for March 20 – April 14, 2024.

Before COVID-19, more than 1.5 million visitors swarmed the U.S. capital city each spring to witness the fleeting flowering of more than 3,700 cherry blossom trees encircling the Tidal Basin , home to the Jefferson Memorial. John Malott was usually among them. Malott is a former president of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C ., which organizes the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival every April to coincide with the Cherry Blossom Festival.

"It's very, very picturesque," says Malott, describing the view from the Tidal Basin. "You have the blue of the water and the blue of the sky. Then you have the white-ish pink of the cherry blossoms against the incredible white of the Jefferson Memorial in the distance. It's very beautiful and also very peaceful. I don't think there's anywhere in the world where you can stand in one place and see that many cherry blossom trees."

The story of how and why those 3,700 cherry blossom trees were gifted from Japan more than 100 years ago and planted in America's capital city is fascinating. But first, let's learn why the cherry blossom is such an enduring symbol in Japan.

Why Is the Cherry Blossom So Special?

A symbol of fleeting beauty, nostalgia and loss, how cherry blossoms came to d.c., what's a cherry blossom and when is cherry blossom season.

In Japan, cherry blossom trees have been cultivated and celebrated since at least the eighth century C.E. , when their pink blossoms first began to appear in Japanese poetry and picture scrolls. The Japanese word for cherry blossom is sakura and for more than a millennium, Japanese families have celebrated the arrival of spring with hanami or "flower gazing."

The 17th-century poet Basho captured the charm of hanami in a haiku :

In Japan, the spring blooming of the cherry blossoms coincides with a season of renewal and new beginnings, explains Malott, who was also a former director of Japanese Affairs at the U.S. State Department and served diplomatic roles in Kobe and Osaka, Japan. April is the start of the new school year for Japanese children, and the start of a new fiscal year for Japanese companies.

Part of the hanami tradition is to have a picnic underneath the blossoming cherry trees. From mid-March through April, Japanese families and groups of friends vie for picnic spots under a canopy of pink blossoms, and companies throw rowdy, sake-fueled parties that run late into the night.

"They get the lowliest staff member to go out early in the morning and stake out a spot under the trees," says Malott. "The poor guy has to be there all day."

A cherry blossom tree blooms for only about 10 days, and part of its hypnotic beauty is the knowledge that it will soon be gone. A Japanese ambassador to the U.S. once told Malott that the cherry blossom is the only flowering tree where the petals fall to the ground when they're at their peak, not when they're faded or wilted.

"Because they fall off the tree and die at the peak of their bloom, whenever you see a cherry blossom in a Japanese movie or TV show, that usually means that someone young has died," says Malott. "If the heroine is in the hospital getting sicker and sicker, and they cut to a shot of a cherry blossom falling to the ground, you know she's gone."

The Japanese word natsukashi describes a nostalgic feeling of happiness tinged with sadness and is associated with cherry blossom season. In addition to being a time of renewal, it's a time of endings, too. School graduations, for example, are held in March and Malott says they're often accompanied by "tear-jerker songs about cherry blossoms falling."

There's a far more serious side to the symbolism, too. In World War II, the planes flown by Japanese kamikaze pilots on their suicide missions were called Ohka , another word for cherry blossom. The young cadets who "volunteered" as kamikaze pilots were also called cherry blossoms , and their uniforms and planes were stamped with the image of a single pink flower.

"The very machines these young men went to their death in were called cherry blossoms," says Malott.

On March 28, 1912, a one-paragraph article appeared in The Washington Post with the underwhelming headline, "Mrs. Taft Plants a Tree." The day before, first lady Helen "Nellie" Taft, wife of President William Howard Taft, had planted the first two cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C. as gifts from the mayor of Tokyo.

And that's the story that most people know, that the entire cherry blossom tradition in D.C. started with a Japanese gift in 1912. But that's not the half of it.

The real story behind Washington's magnificent cherry blossoms starts with Eliza Scidmore, a photographer and writer who was the first woman to sit on the board of the National Geographic Society. Scidmore traveled extensively in Japan and came back to D.C. in 1885 convinced that cherry blossom trees should be planted in Potomac Park, on land reclaimed from the Potomac River. As she later wrote , "[S]ince they had to plant something in that great stretch of raw, reclaimed ground by the river bank ... they might as well plant the most beautiful thing in the world — the Japanese cherry tree."

Scidmore campaigned tirelessly for more than 25 years, petitioning every president and D.C. official to plant cherry blossoms, but her idea was ignored. Then David Fairchild came along. Fairchild worked for the brand-new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a "plant explorer" who traveled the world looking for plant species that could be cultivated in America. While in Japan, he fell for cherry blossoms.

In 1909, Fairchild showed that cherry blossom trees thrived in the temperate climate of Washington, D.C., which emboldened Scidmore to write one more letter to the new First Lady proposing to pay for the trees herself. To her amazement, Nellie Taft replied two days later, writing , "I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees."

That's when Dr. Jokichi Takamine got involved. The wealthy Japanese chemist (he was the first person to isolate adrenaline, now called epinephrine) lived in the U.S. and had campaigned for cherry blossom trees in New York City. Scidmore told him about Mrs. Taft's promise and Takamine came up with the idea of making D.C.'s cherry trees a gift from Japan.

Unfortunately, the first shipment of 2,000 Japanese cherry blossom trees was plagued with insects and disease and had to be burned. Two months later, a shipment of 3,020 healthy trees arrived in Washington, D.C. on March 26, 1910. Mrs. Taft planted the first two the very next day, and Scidmore was there to witness the fruition of a decades-long dream. Now, cherry blossom trees line the Tidal Basin and other parts of Potomac Park, as well as other areas of the city.

Despite the name, the cherry blossom tree doesn't produce any cherries, at least not any that a human would eat. The plant is strictly ornamental, although the trees do produce a tiny dark fruit that birds and animals eat . The cherry blossom is the flower of the Prunus tree, the same genus as the cherry tree. It's just that the cherry blossom was bred to maximize blossoms rather than fruit.

The cherry blossom tree grows all over the world — in Asia, Europe, the U.S. — anywhere with a temperate climate. Blooms are usually a beautiful shade of pink or white. Although the blooming season is less than two weeks, the tree itself may live 30 to 40 years .

In the Northern Hemisphere, cherry blossom trees bloom as early as mid-January in tropical locations like Hawaii and as late as early June in northern latitudes like Michigan. The dark pink cherry blossom trees in Curitiba, Brazil, however, flower in July , which is winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Japan, weather websites closely track the cherry blossom "front" as bloom-worthy warm weather slowly makes its way from southern to northern Japan from March through May. In Washington, D.C., the " peak bloom " is forecast for March 22 – 25, 2023, early then normal because of the warm winter./\r\n/

If you want to skip the crowds in D.C., head to the Macon, Georgia, International Cherry Blossom Festival . Macon boats 350,000 cherry blossom trees and festival events include an annual Wiener Dog Race crowning the "Fastest Wiener Dog in Middle Georgia!"

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article:

Festival Blog

Significance of sakura: cherry blossom traditions in japan.

Spring has arrived! The cherry trees are starting to bloom again around the National Mall and Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. In Japan, cherry blossoms are called sakura , a special flower for the people and the country.

Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall.

During this season in Japan, people like to have cherry blossom parties with colleagues, friends, and family. A cherry blossom makes people merry. They enjoy eating, drinking, and barbecuing underneath the cherry blossoms. We call this custom hanami . Hanami literally means “watching blossoms,” and the tradition can be traced back at least a thousand years. We bring cooked meals, alcohol, snacks, and sweets, like a potluck party. Schools and offices hold welcome parties during hanami, a chance for people to bond and meet new friends.

Even at night, viewing spots are crowded with people enjoying the blossoms in a beautiful, romantic atmosphere. Couples go at night to enjoy the special mood created by cherry blossoms. Hanami at night is called yozakura .

While American schools begin in the fall, the Japanese fiscal and school year begins in April, the season of sakura. We feel like the fully bloomed cherry blossoms are celebrating and welcoming our brand-new start. Many schools and companies have cherry trees outside of them. This is why Japanese people have special feelings for the cherry blossoms.

I have lovely memories from when I was young, doing hanami with my parents, brother, and sister. My mom packed a special lunch box, hanami bento , full of our favorite foods. My father was in charge of securing a good place for us at the famous park by placing a blanket under the cherry trees in the early morning.

Now I like to go to hanami with a few of my close friends just to enjoy the cherry blossoms, but if I go with a lot of friends or a group of colleagues, it mostly means having a party with lots of eating and drinking.

Cherry trees have spread throughout the world to other Asian country, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Turkey, Spain British, Australia, and beyond. We’re lucky to have thousands of cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

In 1912, 3,020 trees were sent from Yokohama to Washington, D.C., as a gift from the people of Japan to the people of the United States. This spring the Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the 102-year anniversary of the gift of sakura.

Now that cherry blossom season is here, you can say: “The season of sakura is coming! Want to go to hanami ?”

Some Japanese kanji :

This is the Japanese character for sakura. The 木 ( ki ) on the left side means tree/wood and developed from a pictogram of a tree, with the horizontal line as branches and diagonal lines as roots. Sakura is derived from saku 咲, which means to bloom, or alternately to smile/laugh. The 口 in 咲 indicates an open mouth.

花 ( hana ) means “flower,” and 見 ( mi ), means “to view.” Together, hanami literally means “to view flowers.” 見 is a combination of the characters for “eye” and “human,” evolving from a pictogram of a human figure with two legs and a large eyeball for a head.

These characters ( yozakura ) mean viewing cherry blossom at night. 夜 ( yo ) means night, and 桜 ( zakura ) is the same as sakura.

Erina Takeda was an intern at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage working on fundraising research. She is sophomore at the Aichi Shukutoku University in Japan, studying international relations with a focus on culture and sustainability.

Email powered by MailChimp ( Privacy Policy , Terms of Use )

Agriculture in India

Essay on cherry: top 7 essays | fruits | horticulture.

Here is an essay on ‘Cherry’ for class 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Cherry’ especially written for school and college students.

Essay on Cherry

Essay Contents:

• Essay on the Disorder of Cherry

Essay # 1. Origin and History of Cherry :

Cherries occupy unique position among temperate fruits. The cultivated cherries are divided into two main groups i.e. Sweet cherries (Primus avium L.) and Sour cherries (Prunus cerasus L.). The cultivation of sweet cherry has been taken up on a commercial scale in Kashmir Valley.

Cherries are considered natives of South East Europe and Asia Minor and as far east as northern India and China. The sweet cherry probably originated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, but birds seem to have carried it into Europe in ancient times.

Diverse forms of sour cherry exist in Eastern Europe and western region of erstwhile Soviet Union. On the basis of earliest records cherry was first domesticated in Greece around 300 B.C. It then spread to Italy and established as a fruit crop by 37 BC.

By Christ’s time it spread to England, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Seeds of cherry were brought to North America by early settlers which eventually spread all over the northern parts and southern most parts of South America.

Essay # 2. Area and Production of Cherry :

The world production of cultivated cherry fruit is about 2.2 million tonnes. Europe produces 40 per cent of world production. Turkey, USA, Iran, Italy, Spain, Austria, Uzbekistan, Romania, Russia, Ukraine etc. are the leading cherry producing countries.

Cherry cultivation in India is confined to Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and hilly areas of Uttarakhand. Jammu and Kashmir is the mainly cherries growing state. The total area in this state is 3500 hectares with annual production of 10880 metric tonnes.

This state produces 70 per cent of total cherry production in India. In Himachal Pradesh, area under cherry growing is 500 hectares producing 900 metric tonnes annually. The higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahual-Spiti have emerged ideal for the cultivation of cherry.

Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Cherry :

Cherries are rich in protein, sugars, carotene and folic acid. Its fruit is also rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Cherries contains 83.7% water, 1.2% protein, 0.2% fat, 3.7% fructose, 4.9% glucose, 280 mg potassium, 30 mg calcium, 12 mg magnesium, 0.4 mg iron, 18 mg vitamin C and 747 I.U carotene per 100 g of edible fruit.

The sweet cherry is mainly used for table purposes and also in canned fruit cocktails, bakery, confectionary, ice-cream, juice making, fruit salads and distilling liquor. The sour cherry is mainly used for processing purposes. The wine made from sour cherry is very popular. The fruits are largely preserved by canning, freezing and sun drying. Both fresh and frozen fruits are utilized for making cherry juice.

Essay # 4. Choice of Varieties of Cherry :

A large number of sweet cherry varieties have been tried out in the Shimla Hills, the Kulu Valley and the Kashmir Valley.

The varieties of sweet cherry grown in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are as follow:

i. Jammu and Kashmir:

Black Heart, Early Purple Black Heart, Bigarreau Napolean, Guigne Noir, Gross Lucenta, Guigne Noir Hative and Bigarreau Noir Gross, White Bigarreau, Bigarreau de Schrecken.

ii. Himachal Pradesh:

Bing, Stella, White Heart, Early Rivers, Napolean White, Sam, Van, Lambert, Sue, Black Republican, Emperor Francis, Black Tortarian.

iii. Uttarakhand:

Bedford Prolific, Black Heart, Governor Wood.

Brief description of important varieties is as follows:

a. Bedford Prolific:

Its skin is black. Flesh of good taste and flavoured. Ripens in middle of May. It is early flowering cultivar.

b. Early Rivers:

This is the finest early cherry cultivar which ripens in the beginning of May. Fruits are large, black, oval with a small stone. The pink flesh is deliciously flavoured. The bearing is usually moderate but regular. It is resistant to cracking.

c. Bigarreau Napolean:

Fruit is very large and handsome with red skin. Flesh firm, sweet and juicy. It ripens by the end of June. It is late variety. The average yield is 19 kg fruit/plant.

d. Governor Wood:

The fruits are large sized, heart shaped, light yellow with red cheek. The quality of white flesh is fair, soft and travels badly. It ripens during second week of May and needs to be picked green. It is regular prolific bearer variety. It is, however, very susceptible to brown rot.

e. Emperor Francis:

The fruit is large and dark red in colour having good keeping quality. It flowers early but otherwise a late cultivar. The tree is a regular and good bearer.

f. White Bigarreau:

The fruits are large in size with red skin. Flesh of very good taste. Ripens by the middle of May. Flowering mid-season.

g. Bigarreau De Schrecken:

Fruit is large-sized with black skin. Flesh sweet and of good quality and fine-flavoured. Ripens in the beginning of May. The fruit is susceptible to cracking in rain. Flowering mid-season.

The fruit is of the highest quality but cracks readily in rain. The tree is upright and spreading and bears moderate to heavy crop of large fruits. The blossom buds are susceptible to low temperatures.

i. Early Purple Black Heart:

The tree is vigorous. Fruit is large, round and heart shaped. Skin is thick, fine red and blended with purple black. Pulp is fine and good. It ripens by the end of May and rated as good table variety.

Compact Lambert, Compact Stella, Salmo, Jubilee, Kristin, Van, Viscount, Montmorency, Meteor, North Star, English Morello, Early Richmond and CITH Cherry-1 and 2 are some leading new cultivars of cherry.

Essay # 5. Insect-Pests of Cherry :

1. Black Cherry Aphid (Myzus Cerasi):

Aphid attacks the leaves as soon as the bud burst and they continue to feed as long as the growth remains succulent. Infested leaves of sweet cherry curl and cluster then they turn yellow and die. The aphid also feed on the fruit.

The pest can be controlled by spraying 1 ml Rogor or metasystox per litre of water before or at bud-swell stage.

2. Flat Headed Stem Borer (Sphenoptera Lafertei):

The borer first appears serious pest during sixties in Himachal Pradesh.

It can be controlled by swabbing treatment of the stem and main trunk to a height of about 2 metre from ground level with 0.2% methyl parathion first in February-March and again with 0.25% insecticidal concentration of swabs during May-June, August and October.

Essay # 6. Diseases of Cherry :

1. Bacterial Canker:

It is caused by Pseudomonas syringae. It is serious in sweet cherries. The disease causes bare branches by extensive killing of leaves and flower buds and spurs on two year or older wood. The bacteria destroy the conducting tissues just below the bark. Dark brown streak of dead tissue may extend up and down the branches for a considerable distance beyond a visible canker. Leaf and flower spurs or entire branches wilt and die. Leaf infection during spring develops as small purplish spot surrounded by a ring of light green tissues. These spots become irregular in shape and turn brown.

Application of Mashobra paste during dormancy on cleaned, localized wounds is recommended to control the disease.

2. Verticillium Wilt:

The disease is caused by Verticillium albo-atrum and Verticillium dahliae. The disease causes defoliation and wilting in young trees of less than 10 years age especially in sweet cherries. The infected trees remain stunted and unproductive for several years. The symptom consists in wilting of foliage and the leaves turn pale green or yellow and finally drop.

Always select desirable well-drained soil for planting cherry orchards to minimise soil- borne diseases. In the young non-bearing orchard do not intercrop potatoes, tomatoes, egg plants, peppers, strawberries and raspberries as they favour increase of fungus in the soil. The pits may be fumigated with 3% formalin before planting.

3. Brown Rot:

Causal organism of this disease is Monilinia fucticola. It is important disease of sweet cherry. On the affected fruits, small round spots develop. It causes severe losses during hot and humid weather conditions at harvest.

The disease can be controlled by adopting sanitation practices.

4. Crown and Root Gall:

It is caused by bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The wart­-like tumors or swellings appears at the crown or on the roots. The galls are at first light in colour and soft in texture but later turn black and become hard. The bacterium of this disease lives in the soil.

The plants may be dipped in a 0.4 per cent copper sulphate solution for one hour before planting. In case of infected plants apply Chaubattia paste after superficial heating of the localized lesions with blow lamp.

5. Leaf Spot:

The disease is caused by Cercospora circumscissa. Numerous minute purple spots appear on the upper surface of the leaves. For its control, spray Captan 75 WP (200 g in 100 litres of water) after petal fall. Repeat the spray 20 days later and after harvest.

6. Viral Diseases:

Sweet cherries on Prunus mahaleb rootstock wilt and decline rapidly after infection. Mottle leaf causes yellowish mottling of the leaves.

Essay # 7. Disorder of Cherry :

Fruit Cracking :

The different cultivars of sweet cherry differ in their susceptibility to cracking. The cultivars with a rapid rate of absorption and a low capacity for expansion crack readily while those with a slow rate of absorption and a high capacity for expansion tend to be immune. Any treatment that decreases the rate of water absorption or increases the capacity of the fruit tissues to stretch without rupturing reduces the amount of cracking.

A spray of calcium chloride at 300-350 g per 100 litres water applied at weekly interval before harvest checked the fruit cracking in Bing and Lambert cultivars. Spraying of GA 3 2000 ppm on Ekero cultivar 3 weeks before harvesting reduced the amount of fruit cracking caused by heavy rainfall following drought.

Related Articles:

• Essay on Jamun: Top 6 Essays | Fruits | Horticulture
• Essay on Plum: Top 7 Essays | Fruits | Horticulture

Essay , Horticulture , Fruits , Cherry , Essay on Cherry

Privacy Overview

• Skip to global NPS navigation
• Skip to the main content
• Skip to the footer section

Exiting nps.gov

History of the cherry trees.

The tradition of celebrating the blooming of cherry trees in Japan is centuries old. The planting of cherry trees in Washington DC originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan. In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or "Sakura," is an important flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a symbol with rich meaning in Japanese culture. For more than a hundred years, we have celebrating cherry trees blooming in solidarity.

The Spirit of Cooperation & a Gift of Blooming Trees

Library of Congress

The tradition of celebrating the spring blooming of cherry trees in Japan is centuries old.

Courtesy Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library

1885 : Mrs. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore was a world traveler, writer, and diplomat at a time when social norms kept many women at home. U pon returning to Washington from her first visit to Japan, Eliza approached the U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds with a proposal that Japanese cherry trees be planted one day along the reclaimed Potomac waterfront. Her request fell on deaf ears. Over the next twenty-four years, Mrs. Scidmore approached every new superintendent to propose the idea of Japanese cherry trees in Washington DC.

Courtesy U.S. National Arboretum

1906 : Dr. David Fairchild, plant explorer and U.S. Department of Agriculture official, imported seventy-five flowering cherry trees and twenty-five single-flowered weeping types from the Yokohama Nursery Company in Japan. He was planning to test the ability of cherry trees to thrive in the environment near Washington DC. Dr. Fairchild planted these trees on a hillside on his own property in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He observed the trees growing . One year later, the experiment was deemed a success!

Courtesy of the Fairchild Tropical Garden

1907 : The Fairchilds, pleased with the success of the trees, began to promote Japanese flowering cherry trees as the ideal type of tree to plant along avenues in the Washington area. Friends of the Fairchilds also became interested and on September 26, arrangements were completed with the Chevy Chase Land Company to order three hundred cherry trees for the Chevy Chase area. 1908 : Dr. David Fairchild gave cherry saplings to children from each District of Columbia school to plant in their schoolyard for the observance of Arbor Day. In closing his Arbor Day lecture, Dr. Fairchild expressed an appeal that the "Speedway" (no longer existing, but marked by portions of Independence and Maine Avenues, SW and East and West Basin Drives, SW, around the Tidal Basin) be transformed into a "Field of Cherries." Eliza Scidmore was in attendance, seeing the first big results of her advocacy.

Library of Congress, Clinedinst, Barnett McFee

1909 : Eliza Scidmore decided to try to raise the money required to purchase the cherry trees and then donate them to the city. She sent a note outlining her plan to the new First Lady, Helen Herron Taft.

1909 : Mrs. Taft had lived in Japan and was familiar with the beauty of the flowering cherry trees. Two days later the first lady responded. The White House, Washington April 7, 1909 Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees, but I thought perhaps it would be best to make an avenue of them, extending down to the turn in the road, as the other part is still too rough to do any planting. Of course, they could not reflect in the water, but the effect would be very lovely of the long avenue. Let me know what you think about this. Sincerely yours, Helen H. Taft

Government of Japan, "The Cherry Blossoms Blooming Friendship Between Japan and the United States"

April 8, 1909 : The day after Mrs. Taft's letter of April 7, Dr. Jokichi Takamine, the Japanese chemist who discovered adrenaline and takadiastase, was in Washington with Mr. Midzuno, Japanese consul in New York. When he was told that Washington was to have Japanese cherry trees planted along the Speedway, he asked whether Mrs. Taft would accept a donation of an additional two thousand trees to fill out the area. Mr. Midzuno thought it was a fine idea and suggested that the trees be given in the name of the City of Tokyo. Dr. Takamine asked the M ayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, to support making a gift of cherry trees to the United States.

Kinsei Meishi Shashin vol.2, National Diet Library, Japan

1909 : Tokyo's Mayor, Yukio Ozaki, supported the gift of cherry trees to Washington DC. First Lady of the United States, Helen Herron Taft, agreed to accept a donation of 2,000 cherry trees. The first cherry trees were on their way!

April 13, 1909 : Five days after Mrs. Taft's request, the Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, Colonel Spencer Cosby, U.S. Army, initiated the purchase of ninety Fugenzo Cherry Trees (Prunus serrulata "Fugenzo") from Hoopes Brothers and Thomas Co., West Chester, PA. The trees were planted along the Potomac River from the site of the Lincoln Memorial southward toward East Potomac Park. After planting, it was discovered that the trees were not named correctly. The trees were determined to be the cultivar Shirofugen ( Prunus serrulata "Shirofugen" ) and have since disappeared.

Courtesy of U.S. National Arboretum

August 30, 1909 : The Japanese Embassy informed the Department of State that the City of Tokyo intended to donate to the United States two thousand cherry trees to be planted along the Potomac River. December 10, 1909 : Two thousand cherry trees arrived in Seattle, Washington from Japan. January 6, 1910 : The two thousand trees arrived in Washington, D.C.

January 19, 1910 : To everyone's dismay, an inspection team from the Department of Agriculture discovered that the trees were infested with insects and nematodes, and were diseased. To protect American growers, the department concluded that the trees must be destroyed.

January 28, 1910 : President William Howard Taft granted his consent to burn the trees.

January 29, 1910 : a newspaper article in the Evening Star mentions that "about a dozen" of the "buggiest trees" were saved for further study, and "planted out in the experimental plot of the bureau, and there will be an expert entomologist with a dark lantern, and a butterfly net, cyanide bottle and other lethal weapons placed on guard over the trees, to see what sort of bugs develop." The Secretary of State sent letters to the Japanese Ambassador expressing the deep regret of all concerned. All parties involved from Japan met the distressing news with determination and good will. Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki and others suggested a second donation be made, and the Tokyo City Council authorized this plan. The number of trees had now increased to 3,020. The scions for these trees were taken in December 1910 from the famous collection along the bank of the Arakawa River in Adachi Ward, a suburb of Tokyo, and grafted onto specially selected understock produced in Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture. February 14, 1912 : 3,020 cherry trees from twelve varieties were shipped from Yokohama on board the S.S. Awa Maru , bound for Seattle. Upon arrival, they were transferred to insulated freight cars for the shipment to Washington. D.C.

March 26, 1912 : 3,020 cherry trees arrived in Washington, DC. The trees were comprised of the following varieties:

"Somei-Yoshino" ...................................1,800 "Ari ake"....................................................100 "Fugen-zo".................................................120 "Fuku-roku-ju"............................................ 50 "Gyo-i-ko".................................................. 20

(The Gyoiko were all planted on the White House Grounds) "Ichiyo".....................................................160 "Jo­nioi".......................................................80 "Kwan-zan"...............................................350 "Mikuruma­gayeshi"....................................20 "Shira-yuki".............................................. 130 "Surugadai­nioi"...........................................50 "Taki­nioi"..................................................140

Total ........................................................ 3,020

March 27, 1912 : Helen Herron Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin, about 125 feet south of what is now Independence Avenue, SW. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the first lady presented a bouquet of "American Beauty" roses to Viscountess Chinda. Washington DC's renowned National Cherry Blossom Festival grew from this simple ceremony, witnessed by just a few persons. These two original trees still stand several hundred yards west of the John Paul Jones Memorial, located at the terminus of 17th Street, SW. Situated near the bases of the trees is a large bronze plaque which commemorates the occasion.

"Dogwood 4," Library of Congress 2006691818, Hajime Namiki 1947 (artist), College of Women's Association of Japan (sponsor)

1913 -­ 1920 : Workers continued planting Yoshino trees around the Tidal Basin. The cherry trees of the other eleven varieties and the remaining Yoshino trees were planted in East Potomac Park. 1915: In a gesture of gratitude for the cherry trees, in 1915 Former President Taft sent a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan.

"Crowned Queen of Cherry Blossoms," Library of Congress 2016871505, Harris and Ewing

1927 : April 16, the original planting of Japanese cherry trees was commemorated by a re-enactment of the event by Washington school children. 1934 : The District of Columbia Commissioners sponsored a three-day celebration. 1935 : The first "Cherry Blossom Festival" was sponsored jointly by many civic groups and became an annual event in subsequent years. April 8, 1937 : A ceremony attracted thousands of visitors to the Capital. Sakiko Saito, daughter of the Japanese Ambassador and Mme. Saito, was crowned Queen of the Cherry Blossoms by Melvin Hazen, Commissioner of the District of Columbia. The festival was held to celebrate the anniversary of the presentation of the Japanese cherry trees to the capital by the citizens of Tokio, Japan during the Taft Administration. The Queen was photographed with Masako Saito, also a daughter of the Japanese Ambassador, and Barbara Caldwell, an American playmate.

1938 : So prominent were the cherry trees that a group of indignant women chained themselves together near them in a political statement against President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Called the Cherry Tree Rebellion , the sought to stop the workers who were preparing to clear ground for the construction of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. A compromise was reached wherein more trees would be planted along the south side of the Tidal Basin to frame the memorial.

1940 : The Cherry Blossom pageant was introduced to the festival activities

Growing Peace

1948 : The Cherry Blossom Festival continued after World War II. Cherry Blossom Princesses were selected from each State of the Union as well as from each federal territory. From these princesses, a queen was chosen to reign during the festival.

1952 : The famed cherry tree grove along the Arakawa River near Tokyo, parent stock for Washington's first trees, had fallen into decline during World War II. Japan requested help to restore the grove in the Adachi Ward. The National Park Service shipped budwood from descendants of those same trees back to Tokyo. These efforts to help restore the original grove from their descendant trees was part of the cycle of giving and friendship symbolized by the blooming cherry trees.

NPS, Brian Hall

March 30, 1954 : The Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Sadao Iguchi, presented a 300-year-old Japanese Stone Lantern to the City of Washington. The lantern is one of two; the other stands in Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan. The lantern was a gift, a rededication of friendship between nations commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first Treaty of Peace, Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan signed March 31, 1854 at Yokohama on March 31, 1854.

The Japanese Stone Lantern , made of granite, is eight feet high and weighs approximately two tons. The National Cherry Blossom Festival officially is opened by the lighting of the lantern.

1957 : Mr. Yositaka Mikimoto, President of Mikimoto Pearls, Inc., donated the Mikimoto Pearl Crown that is used at the coronation of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Queen on the night of the Grand Ball. The crown contains more than two pounds of gold and has 1,585 pearls. This magnificent crown is ceremonial, and because of its weight the young lady, who is crowned Queen, will wear the famous piece for just a few moments. She is given a miniature crown of gold, with a pearl topping each point, to wear for the remainder of the evening and to keep thereafter as her own.

April 18, 1958 : The Japanese Pagoda, hewn out of rough stone, was placed on the southwest bank of the Tidal Basin and dedicated. It was presented as a gift to the City of Washington DC by the Mayor of Yokohama to "symbolize the spirit of friendship between the United States of America manifested in the Treaty of Peace, Amity and Commerce signed at Yokohama on March 31, 1854..." The Japanese Pagoda was shipped to the United States in five crates and arrived as a puzzle! It was assembled by specialists from the Smithsonian Institution.

LBJ Library, White House Photo Office collection

1965 : The Japanese Government made another generous gift of 3,800 Yoshino trees to another first lady devoted to the beautification of Washington, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Many of these trees are planted on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Lady Bird Johnson and Mrs. Ryuji Takeuchi, wife of Japan's Ambassador, reenacted the planting ceremony of 1912.

1982 : The cycle of giving and preservation continued. A river rerouting flooded an embankment of Yoshino cherry trees in Japan. Horticulturalists from Japan collected cuttings from the Yoshino cherry trees in Washington DC to help restore the Yoshino grove after the flood. Approximately eight hundred cuttings from the Tidal Basin Yoshino trees were collected by horticulturists to help retain the characteristics of the grove and replace destroyed trees. Through this ongoing cycle of restoration and growth, the cherry trees continued to fulfill their role as a symbol and an agent of friendship.

NPS Photo, Rachel Hendrix

1986 to 1988 : A total of 676 new cherry trees were planted at a cost of over $101,000 in private funds donated to the National Park Service to restore the number of trees to what they were at the time of the original gift. 1994 : The National Cherry Blossom Festival was expanded from one week to two weeks. 1996 : March 27, signing of the Sister River Agreement between the Potomac, which flows through Washington DC, and the Arakawa, which originates on scenic Mt. Kobushi in Saitama Prefecture.

June 17, 1997 : In cooperation with the United States National Arboretum, cuttings were taken from the documented, surviving 1912 Yoshino cherry trees shipment, to ensure preservation of the trees' genetic lineage. These trees will be used in subsequent replacement plantings to preserve the genetic heritage of the grove.

1999 : November 15, Fifty trees, propagated from the 1,400+ year old "Usuzumi" cherry tree growing in the village of Itasho Neo in Gifu Prefecture of Japan, were planted in West Potomac Park. It is said that the 26th Emperor Keitai of Japan planted the tree 1,500 years ago to celebrate his ascension to the throne. The "Usuzumi" tree was declared a National Treasure of Japan in 1922.

Library of Congress, Harris and Ewing

2002 - 2006 : Four hundred trees, propagated from the surviving trees from the 1912 donation, were planted to ensure that the genetic lineage of the original trees is continued. 2011 : Approximately 120 propagates from the surviving 1912 trees around the Tidal Basin were collected by National Park Service horticulturists and sent back to Japan to the Japan Cherry Blossom Association to retain the genetic lineage. Through this cycle of giving, the cherry trees continue to fulfill their role as a symbol and as an agent of friendship. 2016 : Cuttings were taken from the trees throughout the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park. These trees are being propagated at a nursery and will be planted in 5-6 years once the trees are large enough to be transplanted.

This year’s National Chery Blossom Festival continues the spirit and traditions of cultural exchange, international friendship, and taking time to enjoy the blooming of the cherry trees. Thank you for taking time to learn more about the symbolism and history of the cherry trees. Enjoy the festival!

Last updated: March 5, 2024

Home Essay Examples Environment Trees

Types of Cherry Trees

• Category Environment
• Subcategory Earth & Nature
• Topic Trees

There is a number of cherry tree varieties in the world. Humans has separated those types of cherry trees according to their particular traits. They then named those trees according to different reasons. Some of those names where abstracted from certain cultures & cherry tree species. For instance, if a tree is originated from Japan, the majority will also use that name even though they do not know the meaning. Those names where unchanged since they were given long back by our ancestors.

Cherry tree varieties

Cherry tree types are differ from sizes. Some grow taller whilst others are dwarfs. They vary in almost every feature. Even though, there are such beautiful trees to have in your yard or garden. They have blossoms that are so attractive. The bottom line is that, they can change the entire look of your surroundings as there are so decorative ever. In this post, I had collected a list of some of the more popular cherry trees that are found in gardens. They can also be purchased online as seeds or seedlings.

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

Weeping Cherry

Some trees are beautiful out there. Unfortunately, there are not suitable to be planted in the yard because they are too big. With the Weeping Cherry tree, you have got beauty and space saver tree. It is estimated to grow between 10 and 12 feet. In spring, beautiful flowers cover the branches of this tree. In addition, if you look at it from afar, you will admit that it’s a frozen fountain. It’s pink blooms can form a new look to the landscape of your garden. Just like every plant that had a selective soil to grow better, this cherry tree produce good results if it’s grown in a well-draining soil. Furthermore, it prefers full sunlight. When its fruits are matured, they are in black colour. You may be tempted to eat them, but they are not edible.

Kwanzan Cherry

This is one of cherry tree species that stands out to the eye. It has attractive blooms, which are pink. Those blooms are also large and doubled. Unlike any other flowering cherry trees, the blooming period of Kwanzan cherry is very long. While those flowers were be still blooming, the leaves will be starting to grow. Furthermore, for the best results to the flowering process, it prefers full sunlight exposure. The Kwanzan cherry tree is also a fastest growing tree compared to other cherry trees. It grows better in a soil that drains well.

Sargent Cherry tree

This is a beautiful tree that also grows faster. It’s different is that it is easily recognised by its single petal. The maturity estimate of its height is from 40 – 50′. It prefers to grow in the full sun and also grows in rich, moist, sandy, loam, acidic, clay and well drained soils. The sargent cherry is capable to endure difficult conditions such as drought. Once it is planted, it doesn’t requires frequent maintenance. As compared to other cherry trees, Sargent is not easily affected by diseases. It is also a tree that is mostly loved by birds.

Okame Cherry

Okame tree produces the best results when it’s grown in the full sun and in fertile soil. It is a beautiful tree that blooms in late winter and it is usually the first tree to bloom. Compared to other types of cherry trees, Okame is the smallest tree compared to other cherry tree types. It has sweet smell flowers attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Autumn Flowering Cherry

Autumn flowering cherry tree blooms anytime, even in warm spells of winter season. It is a drought tolerate tree that saves water. Furthermore, it also saves time and money for maintenance. Autumn flowering cherry has black fruits that usually attracts birds. Furthermore, it is used to line along sidewalks and driveways.

Afterglow Cherry

Whether there it’s summer or winter, Afterglow cherry tree fits any weather conditions. It’s blossoms are dark pink and they does not fade. In late March to mid-April, it’s blossoms become abundant. Then the flower buds starts to develop in summertime. The leaves of this tree turns yellow in fall. It is one of the most attractive trees.

Akebono Cherry

Akebono cherry tree is one of the trees that can overcome heat in summer. It provides with shade by its crown and canopy. It is a popular American flowering cherry that is known for producing plenty of flowers in early spring. When those flowers are opening fully, they slowly fade to white. Hot places are preferably to grow this type of cherry tree. It requires full sun and a good draining soil. However it doesn’t tolerate drought. Furthermore, the Akebono tree is more than a shelter. It provides shelter for the birds, each and every season.

Benefits of cherry trees

There are many benefits of cherry trees. Some of those trees provide with shade in summer. Imagine yourself sitting under a shade of a cherry tree in hottest summer. It is more than comfortability. Furthermore, cherry trees also act as wind screen to block harsh winds that can destroy your plants. The one of the most thing that makes cherry trees more pivotal is their appearance. They have blossoms that are so attractive. Those blossoms can give your landscape a nice design. Other advantage of cherry trees is that, they are not big in such that you can’t grow them in your yard. Also they don’t need to be maintained frequently and they are rarely pruned.

After discovering the different types of cherry trees, you can be able to identify them. Most of those cherry trees are originated from Japan. They are cultivated in gardens and parks. Over the centuries up until now, cherry trees are still amazing trees in the world. They easy to grow and they grow faster. Lastly, they can be easily identified by their number of petals, leaves, colour of the blossoms, and time of blooming. The important note when deciding to plant those trees is to consider type of soil and preferably location.

We have 98 writers available online to start working on your essay just NOW!

Related Topics

Related essays.

By clicking "Send essay" you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

By clicking "Receive essay" you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

We can edit this one and make it plagiarism-free in no time

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

The Surprising History of Cherry Blossoms

T he calendar, if little else, says spring is here. Although many flock to see cherry blossoms, that reliable harbinger of the season, history shows these buds are more than just pretty flowers.

For centuries people in Japan have celebrated gathering under cherry trees when they’re fully flowered. Because the buds tend to bloom all at once and wither quickly, they became a symbol of “something that’s evanescent and fleeting”–something that, echoing Buddhist principle, must be enjoyed before it’s too late, says Bruce L. Batten, a historian of Japan.

That idea made cherry blossoms appealing as military symbols; personnel were told it was an honor to “die like beautiful falling cherry petals” during the era of imperial expansion in Japan, which stretched from the 19th century through World War II, says Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, author of Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalisms: The Militarization of Aesthetics in Japanese History. Many cherry trees were planted during that period, and their image on army and navy insignias helped cement the association between Japan and the cherry blossom. At the same time, cherry trees were planted to console the souls of soldiers. Eventually they became a symbol of peace, not war.

Today cherry trees can be seen as a sign of something else. Because there is a record of the celebration of their blossoming, they have become indicators of climate change as shorter winters nudge the peak bloom to earlier and earlier dates. “That is unambiguous evidence,” Batten says, “that things are getting warmer.”

For more of these stories, visit time.com/history

More Must-Reads From TIME

• The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
• Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
• Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
• 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
• If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
• The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
• Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Write to Olivia B. Waxman at [email protected]

Sakura Cherry Blossoms

Brief overview of japanese cherry blossoms.

Sakura, the Symbol of Japan In Japan, Sakura (cherry blossoms) symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhist influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware. The association of the sakura with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality; for this reason, sakura are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.

Sakura appears in many Japanese Arts and Cultures Widely celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry, and art, sakura carry layered meanings. For example, because they bloom briefly, the blossoms are often seen as a metaphor for the ephemeral beauty of living. At the same time, the joyful tradition of hanami (flower viewing) is an old and ongoing tradition. The practice was first associated with plum blossoms before becoming almost exclusively linked with sakura by the Heian Period (794–1185). With wider exposure to Japanese art and culture in the nineteenth century, audiences around the world embraced sakura as a particularly Japanese cultural hallmark. Norinaga MOTOORI, a scholar of ancient Japanese thought and culture, wrote a poem 'What is Japanese spirit? It is Yamazakura blossoms in the morning sun' as the concrete example of Japanese spirit of 'Mono no aware' (graceful, tasteful, sad feeling). Also in the Meiji period Inazo NITOBE wrote in the opening sentence of his book "Bushido" that bushido (Chivalry) is like cherry blossoms which symbolize Japan.

Features of Sakura Cherry Blorroms

Fleeting Sakura Bloom lasting less than 2 Weeks The times of flowering of sakura differ according to the species, but they bloom in mid-March at the earliest and in mid-May at the latest. Yamazakura is in bloom until late March, Somei Yoshino until early April, Yaezakura until mid-April and Kasumizakura until early May. Especially it is seen obviously in Somei Yoshino that sakura open before the leaves come. As for the period of time of flowering, 'Somei Yoshino' which is especially popular for Hanami (flower viewing) is shortest and the flowers fall only one week after the full bloom. Also temperatures and rains affect the period of time of flowering. If cold weather returns in the season of sakura, the cooled flowers live longer and if it rains after blooming, they fall earlier. In school grounds of elementary and other schools, Yaezakura trees are often planted along with Somei Yoshino, because Yaezakura is in bloom longer than Somei Yoshino, therefore people can see the flowers at the time of entrance into schools. The sakura in the period from falling flowers and coming of new leaves until early summer or later are called Hazakura (cherry tree in leaf). The leaves of Genus Cerasus are mostly oval with serrated edges. Many of these leaves also have fine hairs on their surfaces. The leaves of cherry trees turn to fall colors in the autumn.

Culture of Hanami

Nationwide Event to appreciate Lovely Sakura Hanami is a custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms and the arrival of spring. However, hanami almost always means a party to be held under cherry trees with blooming flowers. Cherry trees are seen all over Japan, and since cherry trees in the same region blossom at the same time during Spring and the flowers fall in a short time, often only lasting around two week, the cherry blossoms are very impressive and are seen as an important seasonal symbol for Japanese people and harbingers of Spring. The short period in full bloom and the beauty of the flowers are often likened to the fragility of human life. To enjoy admiring sakura and drinking Sake (alcohol beverage) is called hanamizake and is considered a refined custom. Based on the philosophy of Yin and Yang, the Yin of sakura and the Yang of the picnics are complementary.

More than 1200 years History of Hanami Hanami is believed to have originated in an event which was performed for the nobles during the Nara period. During the Nara period, plum blossoms which were just brought in from China were viewed, but sakura were blooming all over during the Heian period. The change in people's interest was reflected in waka poems, and "Manyoshu" (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) contains 40 waka poems for cherry blossoms and approximately 100 waka poems for plum blossoms, however, those numbers were reversed in "Kokin Wakashu" (A Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry) of Heian period. The word 'Hana' (flowers) started to mean sakura around this time.

Cherry Blossom Front

Special Forecast of Sakura blooming of Japan Cherry Blossom Front is a line graph illustrating the forecasted blooming dates of sakura (primarily of Someiyoshino (Prunus yedoensis)) in various locations of Japan. This line graph shows that Cherry Blossom Front lands the southern Kyushu and Shikoku areas in late March, subsequently moving northward in ascending order of latitude values of locations starting from the northern Kyushu and Shikoku areas, the Seto Inland Sea coast, the Kanto region, the Hokuriku region, the Tohoku region and finally reaching Hokkaido in early May annually.

Seasonal Tradition of Spring The Japan Meteorological Agency issues its first 'forecast of sakura blooming dates' of the year on the first Wednesday of March. The agency subsequently continues to forecast sakura blooming dates with appropriate adjustments on Wednesdays until the eighth report which is issued in late April. The sakura blooming forecasts for the locations including Hokuriku, the Kanto-Koshin regions (which include Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba, Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures), Tokai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu are issued during the first three reports of the year. When five or six blossoms have opened, the agency reports that sakura are 'flowering.'

Yoshino Cherry Blossom

The Most Famous Sakura in Japan and the World Yoshino cherry or Somei Yoshino (Prunus * yedoensis) is a hybrid cherry probably between Prunus speciosa (Oshima zakura) as father plant and Prunus pendula f. ascendens (Edo higan) as mother. It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan and is now one of the most popular and widely planted cultivated flowering cherry blossom (sakura) in temperate climates worldwide.

Description of Somei Yoshino Prunus × yedoensis is a small, deciduous tree that at maturity grows to be 5 to 12 metres (16–39 ft) (rarely 15 metres (49 ft)) tall. It grows well in hardiness zones 5–8 and does well in full sun and moist but well drained soil. The leaves are alternately arranged, 6 to 15 centimetres (2.4–5.9 in) long and 4 to 7 centimetres (1.6–2.8 in) broad, with a serrated margin; they are often bronze-toned when newly emerged, becoming dark green by summer. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring; they are fragrant, 3 to 3.5 centimetres (1.2–1.4 in) in diameter, with five white or pale pink petals. The flowers grow in clusters of five or six together. The fruit, a small cherry, is a globose drupe 8 to 10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter; they are an important source of food for many small birds and mammals, including Japanese robins and Japanese thrushes. The fruit contain little flesh and much concentrated red juice, which can stain clothing and brick. The fruit is only marginally sweet to the human palate.

Yoshino Cherry gives Delight to Western People The Yoshino cherry was introduced to Europe and North America in 1902. This tree, along with the cultivar Kwanzan (derived from the related Prunus serrulata), is responsible for the spectacular pink show each spring in Washington D.C. and other cities. Several of 2000 Japanese cherry trees given to the citizens of Toronto by the citizens of Tokyo in 1959 were planted in High Park also.

Five Greatest Japanese Single Sakura

Miharu takizakura.

Kariyado no Gebazakura

Ishido Urazakura

Jindaizakura

Usuzumizakura

Famous Japanese Sakura Spots

Matsumae park.

Goryokaku Star Fort

Nijukken Road

Hirosaki Castle

Kitakami Keishochi

Funaoka Joshi Park

Hinokinai River

Tsuruoka Park

Eboshiyama Park

Tsuruga Castle Park

Kasumiga Castle Park

Heiwa Street

Nikko Kaido Road

Akagi Nanmen Senbonnzakura

Oomiya Park

Kumagaya Sakura Zutsumi

Shimizu Park

Mobara park

Shinjuku Gyoen

Ueno Onshi Park

Sumida Park

Toneri Park

Yoyogi Park

Inogashira Park

Koganei Park

Chidorigabuchi

Mitsuike Park

Odawara castle Park

Muramatsu Park

Takada Park

Matsukawa Park

Asuwa River

Oboshi Park

Takato-Joshi-Park

Hyakujurozakura

Yamazaki River

Tsurumai Park

Okazaki Park

Miyagawa Zutsumi

Nagahama Castle

Ninna Temple

Daigo Temple

Zouheikyoku

Osaka Castle

Himeji Castle

Shukugawa River

Yoshino Mountain

Shicikawa Dum

Kimii Temple

Uchibuki Park

Matsue Castle

Hiikawa Teibou

Tsuyama Castle

Senkoji Park

Kintaikyo Bridge

Kotohiki Park

Matsuyama Castle

Kagamino Park

Maizuru Park

Kumamoto Castle

Mochio Park

Tadamoto Park

• National Poetry Month
• Materials for Teachers
• Literary Seminars
• American Poets Magazine

Main navigation

• Academy of American Poets

User account menu

Teach This Poem: “Cherry blossoms” by Toi Derricotte

Page submenu block.

• literary seminars
• materials for teachers
• poetry near you

Teach This Poem  is a weekly series featuring a poem from our online poetry collection, accompanied by interdisciplinary resources and activities designed to help K-12 teachers quickly and easily bring poetry into the classroom.

by Matsumura Goshun (Japanese, 1752–1811). Date: 18th century. Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. Dimensions: 69 x 37 7/8 in. Credit line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, etc.  metmuseum.org .

The following activities and questions are designed to help your students use their noticing skills to move through the poem and develop their thinking about its meaning with confidence, using what they’ve noticed as evidence for their interpretations.  Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based .  

• Warm-up  (quick write and pair share) : Quickly write down a list of your associations with the phrase  ancient beauty . Try not to edit yourself during this exercise; focus instead on writing whatever comes to mind. When you have finished, edit your list down to two or three appropriate associations. Share these with a partner.
• Before Reading the Poem   (quick write and small-group discussion) : Look very closely at  the image of the hanging scroll from 18th century Japan . Write down what you notice when you look at the image from a distance and when it is enlarged. What descriptive words seem to capture the essence of the cherry blossoms in this image? Share what you have noticed in a small group with your partner and another pair of students.
• Reading the Poem   (individual reading) : Read  the poem by Toi Derricotte  silently, then write down the words and phrases that jump out at you.
• Listening to the Poem   (enlist two volunteers to read the poem aloud) : Listen as the poem is read aloud twice and write down any additional words and phrases that jump out at you.
• Small-group Discussion : Share the words and phrases that you noticed in the poem with the rest of your small group. How do these words and phrases relate to the image of the painting of cherry blossoms, if at all? Be prepared to use this information in a whole-class discussion.
• Whole-class Discussion : How do you think the speaker in the poem feels about the cherry blossoms she sees? What is your evidence? With what does the speaker in the poem compare the cherry tree and its blossoms? Think back to the warm-up and the painting. What thoughts might the speaker in the poem have about “ancient beauty”?
• Extension Grades 7-8 : Write a paragraph or a poem about something you think has an “ancient beauty.” Be sure to use adjectives, similes, and metaphors to help the reader understand the unique beauty of this object.  (Teachers, if you have not yet taught about adjectives, similes, or metaphors, this would be a good opportunity to do so.)
• Extension for Grades 9-12 : Blossoming cherry trees  were introduced to the United States from Japan  in the early 1900s. What can you learn about  cherry blossoms, or  sakura , in Japanese culture? What can you learn about the introduction of these trees to the United States? Conduct research to find out the answers to these questions, then write an essay telling the story of the trees. Make sure to include what you think the importance of these trees is today.

More Context for Teachers

In her essay “ The Bond of Living Things: Poems of Ancestry ,” Toi Derricotte writes, “In the end, our connection to the past is more than a personal connection; it places us within a lifeline that extends before and beyond us, it places and holds us between the wings of something vast and eternal.”  Read more . 

Newsletter Sign Up

• Academy of American Poets Newsletter
• Academy of American Poets Educator Newsletter
• Teach This Poem

MONTECRISTO

The Joy, Tragedy, and Promise of Vancouver’s Spring Cherry Blossoms

• Story: Kevin Chong
• Illustration: Janice Wu

On a sunny day in January, Nina Shoroplova and I stand two metres apart in face masks (hers emblazoned with the slogan “We ♥ the West End”), imagining pink blossoms on the ornamental cherry trees at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park. Toward the water is Xwáýxway, the Squamish village site where traces of human activity date back 3,000 years, its inhabitants forced out around the time the park opened in 1888.

After a wet, miserable winter of pandemic-induced isolation, I also try to imagine the relief normally evoked by the city’s flowering cherries, which make up more than a 10th of Vancouver’s 146,902 boulevard trees. In a few months, the blossoms will herald springtime, signal better days, and remind us of the ineffable superiority of the Left Coast over the rest of snow-swept Canada. And then they will leave a few weeks later, long before we take them for granted.

“Some people engage with nature,” says Shoroplova, author of the recent  Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver’s Stanley Park . The West End resident was born in Wales and first visited the park in 1961. “Most people just want to be in it. They don’t actually see what’s around them.”

Maybe my blank expression inspires this observation as Shoroplova holds aloft one of her hiking poles toward the bare Shirotae cherries that line the path leading to the cenotaph. By the cenotaph is an Ojochin, its gnarled and bare low-lying branches outstretched like the arms of an arboreal zombie. In Shoroplova’s book, it’s described as “a rare tree that has lived long, growing from its roots (rather than being grafted).” Good thing I have a tape recorder and a copy of the book, or these details would sluice away from me, as all names of trees do.

The cherry trees, one of the city’s proudest attributes, are also linked to one of the country’s most shameful episodes, its treatment of Japanese Canadians. The trees that surround us were donated in the early 1930s by the mayors of Kobe and Yokohama to honour the First World War veterans remembered here. In 1935, Bunjiro and Kimi Uyeda, an immigrant couple, donated a thousand young cherry trees to Vancouver’s park board. Not long after, the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War decimated Vancouver’s thriving community.

The legacy of that community is rightfully celebrated by the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival . Founded in 2005, the festival’s guided walks and Japanese-themed performances were curtailed or made virtual last year. But its long-running Haiku Invitational still crowned six winners (divvied up according to geography and age). The 2020 winner in the Vancouver category was written by Genevieve Wynand:

cherry blossoms fall— the gentle quake of baby kicks

The mother of two teenagers, Wynand says of the inspiration behind her poem, “the image that was coming to me, those early little fluttery kicks of the baby in the womb. I also liked the idea of both cherry blossoms and babies, so gentle and soft.” The Coquitlam-based poet wrote the poems in early March, before COVID-19 altered our daily lives, and remembers seeing the blossoms during lockdown. “They just insisted on persisting,” she says. “They still bloomed, and they will bloom again this year.”

As much as I appreciate the notion of cherry blossoms, when I study their many cultivars and realize their abundance, I run up once more against my nature blindness—an inability to distinguish or name the beauty of the natural world. Is it an inborn talent, as it seems to my bird-watching wife or, through her, my seashell-collecting five-year-old daughter? Or is it something I can acquire?

Years ago, Wendy Cutler saw a call for volunteers to become cherry scouts for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. “The kicker was ‘no knowledge or experience required,’” Cutler says. “Seeing something I was finally qualified for, I signed up.”

Eventually, Cutler says, the cherry trees “became like friends. And I wanted to be able to call them by name.” A native of Philadelphia who came to Vancouver in 1971, Cutler is now scout coordinator, organizing a group of volunteers who map online Vancouver cherry blossoms as they arrive in the spring.

She says she has about 170 names on her email list but only about 10 or 15 of them post regularly on their forum. Her favourite cultivar is Ichiyo. “The trees are good-looking. The blossom is pinky-white and double-petalled. It has a reasonably long blooming time.”

When Cutler asks if I want to become a cherry spotter, I demur at first. Much like male-pattern baldness, a disinclination to being outside, especially in nature, runs in my bloodline. My mother, afraid of allergies, doesn’t even open the windows in the summer. But then, later in the day, I remember something from a few years back.

I was selling my father’s DSLR camera, a year or two after he died in 2014. As I prepared a Craigslist ad, I went through the photos he’d taken in the months before his passing. Most were pictures of cherry blossoms. And what they revealed was no great skill with the camera but an appreciation for transient yet persistent beauty.

I resolve to make this spring different. I picture myself approaching one of these blossoming cherry trees and saying, in typical Vancouver fashion, “I’ve seen you around, but I’ve never introduced myself.” And that’s how acquaintances become friends.

This story is from our  Spring 2021 issue .  Read more Community stories.

Categories:

• Spring 2021
• cherry blossoms
• cherry trees

Current Issue

SIGN UP FOR OUR THURSDAY NEWSLETTER

Connecting Asian writers with global readers

Essay: My Cherry Blossom Tree by Swathi Parasuraman

While I was growing up in Tokyo, there used to be a cherry blossom tree outside my apartment window, a ‘ sakura ’ tree. It bloomed, but just for one week during spring every year. The branches would fill with riotous pink blossoms, heaving in the breeze like big sticks of cotton candy. They would wave about gaily like they were saying hello to whoever was beneath them. 

It was common to see people sitting and making merry under these blossoms. New loves being found, hearts being broken, friendships being forged and life decisions being taken. But within a few days, the gossamer pink petals would curl onto each other and gently fall to the ground. Their lives would be done, the sole purpose of their existence being to lend happiness to people and beauty to nature. 

More Stories

Bookmarked Musings: Raj Kamal Jha’s The Patient in Bed Number 12 by Ramlal Agarwal 

Essay: When the Loss comes Calling by Smitha Murthy

Essay: A Book is Alive by Balu George

2 thoughts on “ essay: my cherry blossom tree by swathi parasuraman ”, leave a reply cancel reply, you may have missed.

• Uncategorized

Essay: Torn by Niharika Bhati

Book Excerpt: The Way Home – A Soul-Searching Journey Through Chaos by Shalini Mullick

Short Story: The Spool by Rifat Mahbub

Short Story: The End of a Wait by Akshaya Ganesh

Discover more from kitaab.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

You must be logged in to post a comment.

A Short Analysis of A. E. Housman’s ‘Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now’

By Dr Oliver Tearle

A. E. Housman (1859-1936) didn’t write a great deal of poetry. When he died, he had published just two slim volumes, A Shropshire Lad (published at his own expense in 1896) and the fittingly titled Last Poems (1922).

The second poem in Housman’s perennially popular A Shropshire Lad , the poem that begins ‘Loveliest of trees, the cherry now’, is one of his most widely anthologised poems. Below is the poem, with some notes towards an analysis of its meaning and language.

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow.

‘Loveliest of trees’: summary

First, a brief summary of ‘Loveliest of trees’ then.

The poem sees the speaker reflecting on the fact that, at twenty years of age, he only has fifty of his threescore years and ten (i.e. seventy years, which the Bible states as the average length of a man’s life) remaining. The cherry tree is in full bloom, all along its boughs and branches, as it does every year when it comes into flower.

Because time is short, the speaker announces that he will appreciate the cherry blossom while he’s around to do so – and make the most of his time on Earth.

(Note: a  ride  is a path   made   for people riding  on  horseback,   especially   through   woodlands.)

‘Loveliest of trees’: analysis

Housman remains a popular English poet, whose first volume of poems,  A Shropshire Lad , was a favourite book among young male soldiers fighting in the Great War. The book was a bestseller, and poems like ‘Loveliest of Trees’ – with their sense of wistfulness at the brevity of human life and the quickness with which one year gives way to another – are among the most emblematic poems in this 63-poem collection.

These two meanings softly provide a backdrop to Housman’s description of the lad walking along the ‘woodland ride’ (a ‘ride’ being a path meant for horses) and admiring the white cherry blossom on the trees.

The poem’s setting of Easter time (‘Eastertide’) reminds us of the springtime when the cherry comes into blossom, but the whiteness of the cherry trees (wearing white at Easter is a Christian tradition; here nature seems to have adopted the custom) also suggests purity, fresh beginnings, and rebirth, things associated with springtime (and rebirth obviously being a central part of the Easter story).

The metaphorical description of the white cherry blossom as ‘snow’ in the poem’s last line reinforces this idea of fresh starts, snow being a popular symbol for purity, for washing things clean. This paves the way for the poem’s message: that the speaker will adopt a new approach to life, and try to make the most of the fifty years he estimates he has remaining on this planet.

‘Loveliest of Trees’ offers, in the last analysis, a fresh take on an old message. The idea that our time is short on this planet was not original to A. E. Housman, of course. But his focus on a particular phenomenon glimpsed for only a short time during the year brings home the fact to us.

Fifty years left on this planet may seem like quite a generous number to a young man. But only fifty more chances to see the cherry trees like this?

One final note on this poem may help to pinpoint a reason for the perennial popularity of Housman. His poetry is technically accomplished, if not innovative: here, he uses quatrains of rhyming couplets ( aabb ) and iambic tetrameter metre (although the opening lines of the poem, ‘Loveliest of trees’, lead us in with a strong heavy stress and a trochaic substitution).

One wonders whether Robert Frost had this poem in mind when he wrote his ‘ Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening ’ (a poem also featuring trees – and quite literal snow – using iambic tetrameter quatrains). Indeed, in that poem Frost is riding a horse, much as the Lad in Housman’s poem is standing on a woodland ride.

But this is not the reason Housman endures – at least, not the chief reason. There is a strong mixture of wistfulness  and  stoicism in his poetry, which gives the lie to the idea that he is a depressing or self-pitying poet.

True, there’s plenty of unrequited love and untimely death in Housman’s poetry, but the first is often tempered by the knowledge that true love survives being rebuffed by the one we love (as a poem like ‘ Because I liked you better ’ demonstrates) and the latter by a sneaking suspicion that dying young is the best way: that it’s better to burn out than fade away (as a poem like ‘ To an Athlete Dying Young ’ states).

In other words, Housman’s outlook is far more stoic than many people believe. And the final stanza of ‘Loveliest of trees, the cherry now’ nicely captures this, as the Shropshire Lad resolves to make the most of his narrow span – his threescore and ten, or at least the twoscore and ten that remain to him – and enjoy what the world, and the world of nature, has to offer him during the time remaining to him.

Continue to explore Housman’s poetry with our pick of his best poems and discover more English nostalgia with Edward Thomas’s wonderful poetry . The best affordable edition of Housman’s work is  Collected Poems And Selected Prose (Twentieth Century Classics) .

Image: Cherry blossom by Ingfbruno , 2013; via Wikimedia Commons .

Discover more from Interesting Literature

Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.

Type your email…

6 thoughts on “A Short Analysis of A. E. Housman’s ‘Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now’”

Once more, a marvellous analysis – thank you:)

Glad you liked it, Sarah – thank you! :)

Interesting to illustrate a poem about white cherry blossom with cherry trees with pink blossom. But Housman makes a good point, enjoy things while you can, I shall re read your blog when I have sent this and see how long he was able to enjoy the blossom.

Sent from my iPad

I know – needs must when it comes to finding copyright-free images :)

Interesting remembering Housman’s ‘ heartless, witless nature in tell me not here yet he wants more than fifty years to admire it . I noted he actually had three score and seventeen but enough is never enough. Take away the loving creator of Hopkins and and your left to admire the blindwatch maker of Richard Dawkins.

truly so,,,, poetry shows our wit and depth….. even when writing about tree… it becomes catharsis to our sleeping soul…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

The Cherry Tree

Back to: Ruskin Bond Short Stories Summary

The story of The Cherry Tree by Ruskin Bond revolves around the concepts of duty, responsibility, perseverance and pride. It has narration in the third person.

Table of Contents

The Cherry Tree Summary

Rakesh, the protagonist , digs the ground with a spade and plants a seed of a cherry tree his grandfather’s garden in Mussoorie. The plant is in the corner of the garden protected from wind and snow. However, soon Rakesh forgets about the seed and gets busy listening to his grandfather’s stories and reading newspapers for him.

Meanwhile, the seed continues to grow. Winter passes and spring arrives. One day, Rakesh is observing the bird when he suddenly notices the plant which has grown into a twig with one or two leaves. He realizes the cherry that he had planted a year ago.

Rakesh shows his grandfather the cherry twig. Grandfather advises Rakesh to take care of the plant now and water it Rakesh also circles the plant with some pebbles for protection.

Now, Rakesh’s interest is stoked. Every morning he observes the plant’s growth but is left disappointed with its slow rate.

Now the monsoon season approaches and the cherry plant grows faster and it makes Rakesh excited. The following summer Rakesh goes home to his parents. He works on his farm and helps his parents in sowing and planting crops.

By the end of the monsoon, he is back with his grandfather. He has grown up and so has his cherry tree. It has come up to his chest. Rakesh is getting more attached to his tree now and waters it every day.

Once Rakesh witnesses an insect on the tree but he doesn’t try and swat it away as he considered it the tree’s first friend. Next, he sees a hairy caterpillar feeding on the leaves of the tree. Rakesh hauls it and places it on some dry leaves to protect the cherry leaves.

When winter arrives, the plant bulges under the weight of the falling snow. It snows so much that the road from the valley gets covered with snow for several days. Grandfather grows frustrated because he could not get his newspapers as the roads are blocked. Consequently, his stories also have sad endings now.

The Flowers

Rakesh turns nine in February and the cherry tree turns four years. It almost reaches up to his head now. One day, his grandfather sees some pink flowers on the cherry tree. For Rakesh, it is nothing short of a miracle. The next spring there are more flowers.

Birds and bees start drinking its nectar and the tree grows taller than him. Soon, Rakesh turns 10 and the cherry tree turns 5. Rakesh starts enjoying books along with his grandfather’s stories. There are more birds came and even more flowers.

Finally, the next summer brings the first fruits. But when Rakesh eats them, they were sour instead of sweet. Grandfather consoles Rakesh and tells him that the cherries would develop into tastier fruit the following year.

One evening Rakesh asks his grandfather about the thing that made the tree. His grandfather replied that the efforts they put in to nurture the plant made it special. Rakesh admires the bark and leaves of his cherry tree, his own creation.

Rakesh was so mesmerized by it that he considers it to be a manifestation of God. He imagines that it was what God must feel about his creations.

The Cherry tree is a symbol of survival and it escapes almost eaten by a goat and being cut with the grass . Just as human beings struggle in life so too does the cherry tree. But the cherry tree shows resilience and the ability to withstand adversities.

The bond between Rakesh and the tree is of care and nurture, just like a family who is caring for each other. He never abandons his tree even when the conditions become tough which highlights the dedication it takes to develop strong and binding relationships of affection and compassion.

Rakesh is a guardian to the cherry tree. He fulfils his responsibility and in the end, is rewarded for his efforts. The cherry seed matures into a fruit-bearing tree just like children grow into adulthood and look after their parents in old age.

Furthermore, Rakesh’s grandfather fulfils his responsibility towards Rakesh in advising him about living a healthy life. He is the light that Rakesh needs to walk on the right path in life. He is nurturing Rakesh just like he is nurturing his cherry tree.

Another theme of the story is the ability to start something new and help it to reach its potentia l. Through toil and determination, Rakesh helps the cherry tree to grow stronger. Rakesh feels proud of the cherry tree just like a parent is proud of his/her ward.

Tree Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on tree.

Tree Essay- Trees are our best friends because they clean the air we breathe. Likewise, they also clean the water and soil and ultimately make the earth a better place. It is also a fact that people who live near trees are healthier, fit, and happier than people who do not.

Moreover, it is our responsibility to look after our friends who serve us in many ways. Most importantly by saving plants, we are not doing any favor to plants but to ourselves only. Because trees and plants life does not depend on us but our lives depend on them.

Importance of Trees

Trees are important to us in a lot of ways and we cannot ignore their importance. They are important because they give us fresh air to breathe , food to eat and shelter/shade from sunlight and rainfall . Besides this, there are many medicines in the market that are made up of trees extracts. Apart from this, there are plants and trees that have medicinal value.

They bring peacefulness; create a pleasing and relaxing environment. Also, they help in reflecting the harmful rays of the sun and maintaining a balanced temperature . Besides, they also help in water conservation and preventing soil erosion . They also manage the ecosystem and from ancient times several varieties of plants are worshipped.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Benefits of Trees

Trees provide us many benefits some of which we can’t see but they make a huge difference. They help in fighting back the climate changes by absorbing greenhouse gases which are the main cause of climate change.

Moreover, they replenish groundwater and filter the air from harmful pollutants and odors. Besides, they are a great source of food and the king of fruits ‘Mango’ also grow on trees.

Moreover, they are the cause of rainfall as they attract clouds towards the surface and make them rain. They can be teachers, playmates and a great example of unity in diversity.

Above all, they are a good source of reducing air, water, and noise pollution.

Value of Trees

When a seed of a plant or tree grow it makes the area around it greener. Also, it supports many life forms. Birds make their nests, many reptiles and animals live on it or near it.

Besides, all these many beautiful flowers, food growing on it. Moreover, many parts of trees such as roots, leaves , stem, flower , seeds , are also edible. Most importantly they never ask anything in return for their services and the gifts they give. Trees also keep the balance in the ecosystem and ecology.

To conclude, we can say that trees are very important and beneficial for every life form on earth. Without them, the survival of life on earth will become difficult and after some time every species starts to die because of lack of oxygen on the planet. So, to save our lives and to survive we have to learn the importance of trees and also have to teach our children the importance of trees.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Beloved — The Imagery of Trees in Beloved

Analysis of Toni Morrison's Use of Trees in Beloved

• Categories: Beloved

About this sample

Words: 1364 |

Pages: 2.5 |

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 1364 | Pages: 2.5 | 7 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, the role of trees in beloved, as a symbol for the scars, representing the slavery system, as the source of comfort and safety, as the pathway to freedom.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 788 words

4 pages / 1814 words

6.5 pages / 2859 words

4.5 pages / 1980 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Beloved

Beloved by Toni Morrison explores the psychological and emotional impact of slavery on the characters, emphasizing the themes of trauma, memory, and the search for identity. The novel is set in Ohio after the Civil War and [...]

Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved is a powerful exploration of the impact of slavery on individuals and communities. The character Sethe undergoes a profound transformation throughout the novel, as she grapples with the trauma of [...]

In Toni Morrison's critically acclaimed novel Beloved, the character Denver undergoes a profound loss of innocence as she navigates the horrors of slavery and its aftermath. Through Morrison's skillful storytelling, Denver's [...]

Toni Morrison's novel, 'Beloved,' is a masterpiece of American literature that employs rich and intricate symbolism to convey its themes and messages. In this essay, we will delve into the significance of color in the novel, [...]

That Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' is stylistically diverse cannot be doubted: Morrison's novel appears straightforward at first glance, opening with blank verse in a standard prose narration, but over the course of the story the [...]

Slavery has brought devastation to communities and countries across the globe for many years. This destruction can be in physical ways, psychological ways, and the lacking community togetherness. In Toni Morrison's Beloved, the [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

What's Wrong With My Weeping Cherry Tree?

About this episode.

T he Grumpy Gardener solves a reader's question about a weeping cherry tree. Plus his tip of the week on growing Beefsteak tomatoes.

Question Of The Week

"i was recently gifted a weeping cherry tree. it's about seven feet tall and doing well, however a bunch of long, thin branches have sprouted near the base. i've gotten conflicting advice on how to deal with these. what do you suggest" -martha., grumpy's answer.

Here's an answer to your question about weeping cherries. Weeping cherry is a very popular ornamental tree and it is basically a tree that has been grafted at the nursery. One part has been joined to another part to make this weeping tree. The weeping tree with the pretty flowers is called a scion. Scion sounds like real science-fiction here. And what it is, it's grafted on top of a tall, straight trunk, which is called the under stock. They do this so that the weeping branches don't just crawl all along the ground. You know, that would be creepy. So what I think has happened in your case, is that these slender shoots that are growing up from the ground are coming up from the roots of the under stock, and you need to prune them off, because if you don't, they'll eventually grow up to become more trunks, and you'll lose the weeping form of your tree. So just cut them off, and problem solved.

Tip Of The Week

I got a question, and it was about how to grow really big beefsteak tomatoes. 'Cause someone had tried, and only got a few measly, little tomatoes on her plant. She was dissatisfied. So the first thing you gotta know is beefsteak tomatoes are the ones, those are really, really huge, and there is a different want to grow them versus others.

Related: How To Grow And Care For Tomatoes

About Ask Grumpy

Ask Grumpy  is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as  Southern Living’s  Grumpy Gardener. For more than 20 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow  Ask Grumpy  on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , or wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.

Download Transcript

For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living .

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

Why Aren’t We Saving the Urban Forests?

By Margaret Renkl

Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South. She reported from Nashville.

The volunteer black walnut sapling in our front yard arrived courtesy of a local squirrel. Deep into its third spring, it looks like the kind of tree a child would draw: a narrow trunk topped by a ball of leaves. I had to mark it with a little flag to make sure my husband didn’t mow over it by accident.

As with all the other trees that have appeared in our yard through no effort of our own, I am besotted with this squirrel-planted young walnut. The baby Eastern red cedars and the baby black cherries and the baby red mulberries were all planted by birds. The baby sugar maples were planted by the wind. Some day they will be all food for the creatures who share this yard. (The baby willow oak and the three baby shingle oaks that appeared two years ago have already fed the rabbits.)

This black walnut won’t reach full maturity for another 150 years or so, and that’s if no one cuts it down — a bet I would not take. Most suburban Americans prefer a lawn unpocked by nuts and unvisited by birds, a square of nature that belongs to nothing natural.

When it comes to trees, human beings tend to like them big and tall and inconceivably ancient — preferably growing at some pretty distance. Trees are meant to grow in community with other trees, but for many people the ideal tree stands alone in an otherwise desolate landscape, tucked next to a dip in an old stone wall or visible across the vastness of fallow fields.

Last summer, in the days after a catastrophic wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina’s historic banyan tree was rightly a focus of concern far beyond the island. When vandals cut down the legendary Sycamore Gap tree in Britain’s Northumberland National Park last fall, that too caused an international uproar . These were movie-star trees. For us they had ceased to be a part of the nameless, inscrutable forest and become instead themselves. A living organism. A friend.

But human beings cut down old trees all the time, for no reason but the inconvenience of their falling leaves or their burgeoning fruit, or because they are in the way of a road or a subdivision, or because of foolish notions of safety. The fear of a falling limb has cost many a suburban tree its life. In the 21st century we have become so separate from the natural world that we don’t feel safe in the presence of perfectly healthy trees.

I wonder what the world would be like if we could harness the outrage engendered by a tree felled in an act of vandalism, or the grief engendered by a tree at risk of dying in a wildfire, and turn it toward protecting the trees we still have left.

The overwhelming majority of Americans live in cities. In an analysis of 44 U.S. cities by the nonpartisan nonprofit Climate Central , roughly 55 percent of the study’s population live in neighborhoods with an average temperature that is at least eight degrees higher than it is in the surrounding rural areas. This phenomenon, where the built human environment is even hotter than the rest of the rapidly warming world, is known as the urban heat island effect. In New York City, the urban heat island index is a whopping 9.5 degrees.

We know forests can capture and sequester carbon before it adds to the heating climate, and we know we need to protect the forests we still have . But too few of us understand the crucial contribution that trees make in our cities and suburbs: cooling hot buildings, preventing storm-water runoff, improving air quality, pulling carbon out of the air, and the like. Not even to mention the habitat — food, shelter, nesting sites — that trees provide our wild neighbors. As the proliferating seedlings in my own yard attest, trees are an essential part of the ecosystem for local wildlife.

Newly planted saplings can help, but with nowhere near the same effectiveness as mature trees. And yet we have somehow gotten the idea that planting a tree in urban and suburban areas has the same practical effect and moral force — there, I said it — as preserving one. A tree is a tree, right? If one happens to be growing in a place where you don’t want it to grow, just cut it down and plant another in a more convenient spot.

In rapidly growing cities, where even a robust plan for planting trees can’t possibly keep pace with development, the preservation of existing trees would go a long way toward keeping the city livable for human beings as well as for wildlife. Here in Nashville, we actually have a tree-protection ordinance , though it doesn’t apply to duplexes or single-family homes, where so many of the remaining trees still live. There are ways to preserve the trees on construction sites , of course, but spec-house builders rarely bother.

As a species, we don’t have 150 years to wait for a black walnut seedling to reach its full glorious height before we start protecting the black walnut trees still among us. The parent tree of my own baby walnut lies across the street from a house that was recently torn down by a developer, along with every tree not in the public right of way. The tree surgeon who carted them off in pieces said the builder’s instructions were to clear every tree from the lot.

Today is Earth Day and Arbor Day is on Friday. Both will be celebrated across the country by a great communal effort to plant trees.

I get it. There’s something very heartwarming about watching a community come together to install a whole row of ornamental trees on a nature-impoverished city street, or to pick up a free seedling from one of the many tree giveaway efforts that sprout up among conservation nonprofits at this time of year. It feels good to dig a hole to the right depth and the right diameter, to set a baby tree down inside it and pat the soil gently around its roots. We are a tenderhearted species, and it feels very good to nurture a baby tree.

We just need to remember how good it feels to sit beneath the cooling shelter of mature trees, too. And we need to fight just as hard to save them as we work to replace the trees we’ve already lost.

Margaret Renkl , a contributing Opinion writer, is the author of the books “ The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, ” “ Graceland, at Last ” and “ Late Migrations .”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

• GETTING STARTED
• WE BUY PRINTS

Ogata Gekkō – Spirit of Cherry Tree, Gekko’s Essay

Sold; Have one to sell?

Out of stock

Additional information

The spirit of Komachi cherry tree appears in front of Sekibei, who is holding a broad ax and threatening to cut down the ancient tree in the kabuki play, “Tsumoru Koi Yuki Seki no To”.

Supernatural apparitions are commonly known in Japan as  Yokai  or  Youkai  and have been around in Japanese legends for centuries. According to various superstitions and legends, it is believed  yokai  have an innate connection to the moon, some youkai are recognized as beneficial and said to have the power to bestow good fortune and health; while others are presumed evil, dangerous, or just untrustworthy, and capable of frightening, intimidating, or even murdering their victims. Although they are very different in nature and appearance, most  Yokai  have certain characteristics in common, such as their arrogant attitude towards humans, their mischievous, and impish disposition, mystic powers, and the ability to create pandemonium. Today, Yokai are most often described as unexplained, but powerful apparitions with bewitching, or grotesque features. One of the most common powers attributed to the Yokai is the ability to alter their appearance, transforming or metamorphosing into anything or anyone, a clever trick that could lead to disconcerting or frightful experiences for humans. In Japanese folklore beings that posses this power are known as shape shifters, and changelings ( obake , and  bakemono ).

Gekko’s Essay – Gekko Zuihitsu

The series  Gekko Zuihitsu  (Gekko’s Essay)  is among  Ogata Gekkō ‘s major works, created in 1886 and 1887. The series was published by Matsuki Heikichi in 1887 and consists of 47 designs plus a title page. The format of the single sheets is  oban tate-e  (portrait format).

The subjects are a diverse collection – history, mythology, warriors, poets, common and not so common people. Gekko’s great contemporary Yoshitoshi had created around the same time a large series with no focus on a specific content, the series  Tsuki Hyakushi  (“Hundred Aspects of the Moon”). But while Yoshitoshi’s hundred designs have the image of the moon as common bond, the Gekko series is missing any formal or contents-related bond. Only the design frame with title and text cartouche and the typical Gekko style of composition and mostly subdued colors make the prints recognizable as part of a series.

The Woodblock Print

This aiban woodblock is in good condition with good colors, bleed through, intact margins and a clean verso. It is on the lighter side of some copies we’ve seen, but there seem to be a lighter edition and a darker edition on the market. Delicate treatment of the spirit/ghost including metallic ink used in the decoration of the kimono and the inside of Sekibei’s robes.

About the Artist

Ogata Gekkō (尾形月耕, 1859-1920) was a Japanese artist who is considered one of the great ukiyo-e woodblock print artists of the late 19th century. Born on November 25, 1859, in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), he was the son of a samurai family. Gekko studied under Kawanabe Kyosai and Taiso Yoshitoshi, two prominent ukiyo-e artists, during the Meiji period. Gekkō was self-taught in art and began by decorating porcelain and rickshaws, and designing flyers for the pleasure quarters. Around 1881 he took the surname Ogata at the insistence of a descendant of the painter Ogata Kōrin. He soon was designing prints and illustrating books and newspapers, but his talents soon caught the attention of publishers and collectors, and he started creating woodblock prints.

Gekko’s artwork reflected the changing times in Japan during the Meiji period, as the country opened up to the West and modernized rapidly. His prints often featured contemporary subjects, such as train stations, factories, and steamships, as well as historical scenes and traditional Japanese motifs. His style was characterized by bold outlines, strong contrasts, and vivid colors, which were achieved through the use of multiple woodblocks.

In addition to woodblock prints, Gekko also created paintings and illustrations. His work was exhibited both in Japan and overseas, including at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. He was also a member of the Tokyo Bijutsu Club and the Japan Art Association.

Gekko was active in the Japanese art community and contributed to the development of the art form. He taught at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and was involved in the publication of the influential art magazine “Taiyo.” He also collaborated with other artists, such as Tsukioka Kogyo and Mizuno Toshikata, to create joint print series.

Gekko continued to create art until his death in 1920.

• “Ogata Gekko.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art .
• “Ogata Gekko: The Artistic Legacy of a Meiji Master.” Japan Societ y.
• “Ogata Gekko.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston .

Read Reviews Leave a Review

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Sophia bush reflects on her “journey” following revealing essay: “it took a long time and a lot of work to get here”.

The 'One Tree Hill' alum shares she "couldn't believe" that she's reached self-acceptance after writing about her divorce and coming out as queer in a recent 'Glamour' cover story.

By Tatiana Tenreyro

Tatiana Tenreyro

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

Following her personal essay in Glamour , Sophia Bush reflected on her decision to share insight into her private life.

In her essay, Bush revealed what led to her split from Grant Hughes and confirmed her relationship with Ashlyn Harris . The One Tree Hill alum shared that by changing the course of her life and making the difficult decision to divorce Hughes and come out as queer, she found true happiness.

Related Stories

Jerry seinfeld brings back classic 'seinfeld' characters, takes jab at 'friends' in promo for his pop-tarts movie, 'mufasa: the lion king': first trailer released by disney.

Days after her essay was published, Bush explained what she meant with her birthday realization in an Instagram post shared on Sunday . “I feel like last summer I had my very first birthday. My own. And last summer Maggie Smith’s words helped me begin to understand why. From afar, she helped me put myself back together,” she wrote.

Bush included a poem from the You Could Make This Place Beautiful author, which explained Bush’s own emotions: “How I picture it: We are all nesting dolls, carrying the earlier iterations of ourselves inside. We carry the past inside us. We take ourselves — all of our selves — wherever we go. Inside forty-something me is the woman I was in my thirties, the woman I was in my twenties, the teenager I was, the child I was … I still carry these versions of myself. It’s a kind of reincarnation without death: all these different lives we get to live in this one body, as ourselves.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sophia Bush (@sophiabush)

Looking back at why it was important to shed light on her personal life on her own terms, the actress wrote, “This week I got to share my own words, that I wrote down from the bottom of my ever-evolving heart.”

She recognized her joy at self-acceptance, writing, “When I uttered ‘I really love who I am, at this age, and in this moment’ I sort of couldn’t believe it. It just fell out of me. Simple. But profound. I’ve always wanted to feel that in my bones. Suddenly I do. It took a long time and a lot of work to get here.”

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Mesh flats are spring’s hottest shoe — here are the best pairs at every price point, bella hadid opens up about stepping back from modeling and no longer putting on a “fake face”, jeff goldblum on why he won’t financially support his kids when they’re older: “got to row your own boat”, scarlett johansson wants honest reviews of her clean beauty line on amazon — here are the outset’s best products to try, the pringles x crocs collab is the crossover we didn’t know we needed — until we did, melanie lynskey says jason ritter’s proposal was “so confusing” she didn’t know she was engaged.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Entertainment

Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz and More One Tree Hill Alums Celebrate 'Inspiring' Pal Sophia Bush After She Comes Out

Bush revealed her relationship with former pro soccer player Ashlyn Harris in a candid essay for 'Glamour' last week

Kristina Bumphrey/Variety, Taylor Hill/FilmMagic, Amy Sussman/Getty

Sophia Bush ’s closest friends are rallying around her in light of her opening up about her sexuality for the first time .

Bush, 41, reflected on the end of her marriage to Grant Hughes and the beginning of her new love story as she confirmed her relationship with former pro soccer player Ashlyn Harris for the first time in a candid essay for Glamour ’ s April cover published on April 25.

In response, the actress has received a flood of love on her social media, including some particularly poignant messages from some of her dearest friends: her One Tree Hill family.

Hilarie Burton Morgan wrote in a comment on one of Bush’s Instagram posts , which detailed the inspiration she drew from poet Maggie Smith when writing the essay for the outlet, “Growing with you has been a delight, my lady. Don’t ever ever stop.” 

“I love the brave multitudes in you. I love the blue flame of that fierce heart at the core of it all,” Burton Morgan, 41, continued. “You shine brighter and brighter. Xoxox.”

In the comments of a joint post shared by both Bush and the magazine, Bethany Joy Lenz shared some love for her former costar, too. “Your open-hearted living is so, so inspiring💎,” Lenz, 43, wrote. “I love you.”

RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty

Some other One Tree Hill alums chimed in, too, including Kate Voegele , who played Mia Catalano in seasons 5-8 of the series, and Daneel Ackles, who played Bush’s characters on-and-off BFF, Rachel Scott, on seasons 3 through 7.

Voegele, 37, wrote of Bush, “You’re amazing, friend! ❤️"

Meanwhile, Ackles, 45, called her “the most beautiful. Inside and Out ❤️.”

In the essay, Bush admitted that only now does she “finally feel like I can breathe” after several challenging years, which included the start and end of her marriage to Hughes, and the beginning of her first queer public relationship with Harris, 38.

"I don't think I can explain how profound that is. I feel like I was wearing a weighted vest for who knows how long. I hadn’t realized how heavy it was until I finally just put it down," she wrote.

“It took me 41 years to get here. When I take stock of the last few years, I can tell you that I have never operated out of more integrity in my life. I hope that’s clear enough for everyone speculating out there, while being as gentle as I possibly can be," she added.

As for how she feels now that she's begun a relationship with Harris, Bush wrote, “Maybe it was all fated. Maybe it really is a version of invisible string theory. I don’t really know. But I do know that for a sparkly moment I felt like maybe the universe had been conspiring for me. And that feeling that I have in my bones is one I’ll hold on to no matter where things go from here.”

For Bush, regardless of whether she's making announcements about her love life, Burton and Lenz have always been by her side.

The trio started a rewatch podcast for the CW series they starred on from 2003 to 2012 (though Burton exited the show after only six seasons ), Drama Queens , which sees them frequently reunite to relive the show, and last year, they marked 20 years since it premiered with tributes on social media.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Bush was careful to honor the then-ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes as she marked the anniversary with photos of herself, Burton and Lenz from over the years.

"Not gonna mention the job that’s turning 20 today while our union is on strike," she began the caption. "So instead I’ll celebrate 20 years of female friendships being the ultimate love stories and the reclamation of our good, bad, ugly, and beautiful through @dramaqueensoth. Thank you to our #fanfam who have encouraged us to find and use our voices onscreen and off. #Lucky23 #20years."

"Hey. We made it. Love you," Burton wrote in a comment on the post.

Lenz similarly marked the anniversary with a post as she shared a carousel of photos from filming the show, writing, "20 years of SOMETHING magical 🐦‍⬛🏀 This will always be my family. Thank you to everyone who made it possible 🙏."

Related Articles