In 1912 the Empire of Japan gifted 3,000-some cherry trees to Washington, DC. They were planted around the DC's Tidal Basin, a lagoon off of the Potomac River in the center of the city. Ever since, they've been one of Washington's city symbols, and among--if not the--grandest collections outside Asia.
Tourists flock to the city every spring to see them, but it's notoriously difficult to schedule a trip. "Peak bloom" is unreliable to predict more than a couple of weeks in advance, and is heavily dependent on weather. Sometimes the blossoms bloom for as short as a few days, if it rains just at the wrong time.
Not this year. This year, they've been going strong for an unprecedented three weeks, thanks to an unusual spring that warmed up fast in February then cooled off dramatically in March. Whatever the opposite of a perfect storm is, that's what we got this year for cherry blossoms.
It couldn't have come in a better year, because with
158 trees about to be cut down--including some of the stars--the collection will never quite be the same.
More on that later, but for now, here are some of my pics from this year. If you're into it, check out
the last time I posted a cherry blossom set here on SSP, which was, Jesus, 11 years ago. That set is a little more intimate than this one is, a little more up close.
So why is the National Park Service, which is notoriously stingy about ever changing anything, cutting down 158 of their most prized cherry trees? Well, here's a hint:
Yeah, the Tidal Basin shoreline is sinking into the muck. Has been for years, but it's reaching a critical point. Take a look at the sidewalk in this picture, from 10:00 am one recent day:
Well, the water's about an inch below shoreline. Not ideal but OK. Exxxxcept the tide was out at that point. And guess what, the Tidal Basin is tidal. Here's the same sidewalk at 11:00 am the same day, one hour later:
Cringe.
The most famous image from this year's blossoming is this, by a photographer named Kevin Ambrose, of "Stumpy," a famously scant cherry tree inundated by the flooding waters. Stumpy has been a DC favorite for many years, but sadly it's one of the trees slated for doom.
Image by Kevin Ambrose. All other photos in this thread are mine.
Check back next year to see how we're doing.
In the meantime, the Tidal Basin may be home to DC's most famous cherry trees, but it's hardly the only place we have them. You can buy them and plant them anywhere, so guess what, people love to do that. They're all over town.
Thanks for looking!
It's crazy to see the changes at the Tidal Basin.
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