Ohio U cherry blossoms draw dozens of visitors
No need to drive to DC to see trees blooming
You don’t need to drive all the way to Washington, D.C. to see the cherry blossom trees bloom along the Tidal Basin. You can find the same striking signs of spring in Athens County at Ohio University.
While they might not get as much attention as those in the nation’s capital, Ohio University’s cherry trees draw dozens of visitors each year, symbolizing the arrival of spring in Athens. They’ve even been recognized by National Geographic as some of the best cherry blossom viewing in the United States.
“It’s kind of unusual, but we’re lucky to be able to enjoy them here,” said Steve Mack, director of facilities management at Ohio University.
The cherry blossom grove — located along the Hocking River on either side of Richland Avenue — doesn’t just signify the season’s change, Mack said. They’re also a reminder of a longstanding partnership between Ohio University and Chubu University, located in Kasugai, Japan.
A gift from Japan
The story of Ohio University’s cherry blossoms dates back to the early 1970s.
In 1973, Chubu University President Kohei Miura and OU President Claude Sowle signed an agreement between the two schools that would exchange professors as a part of the Miura Visiting
Professors program.
A few years later in 1979, to celebrate the successful partnership, Chubu gifted the university 175 cherry blossom trees — one for each year of Ohio University’s existence. The grove grew over the years as OU’S partnership with Chubu endured.
Later, in 2004, Chubu gifted 94 Yoshino cherry trees and nine double weeping cherry trees to replace some damaged plants and increase the total number of OU’S cherry trees to 200, in honor of its bicentennial.
Trees haven’t been the only thing exchanged between the two universities.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the
partnership in 1993, OU sent a replica of Cutler Hall’s cupola to Chubu. And in 2004, Ohio University dedicated its Yamada International House, which was renovated and expanded in part from a gift of 100 million yen (approximately $850,000 at the time) from Chubu in honor of its late president and chancellor Kazuo Yamada.
The trees serve as a living recognition of Ohio University’s longest-standing international partnership, Mack said.
“They are a very nice gesture, and they’ve slowly become somewhat of a
destination,” Mack said.
Year-round work for one brief show
Like all of the natural beauty around campus, the university’s grounds crews tend to the cherry blossom trees yearround to ensure their health and longevity.
Given their age — Mack estimates that the oldest trees in the grove are upwards of 50 years old — the trees are in good shape. However, in 2014, a polar vortex that winter damaged some of the trees in the grove, causing many of them to be removed. New trees were planted but many have yet to reach maturity.
Mack said the cherry blossom trees get the same standard of care as all the other trees on the Athens campus, but they do get “a little bit of specialty care because of their significance.”
The cherry trees are the only trees on campus with their own care records, Mack said, to keep track of each of the plants. They also require a bit of extra maintenance, as cherry blossoms are more susceptible to cherry leaf spot, a fungal disease that can affect dead leaves.
Tracking the peak bloom is ‘a moving target’
The biggest question Mack gets each year is always: When will the trees be in bloom?
It’s never an easy answer, he said. “It’s very tricky to answer because it varies so much each year,” he said. “It’s like trying to hit a moving target.”
A lot of it comes down to how many temperature growth days (meaning the number of temperature degrees above a certain threshold base temperature a plant species needs to grow) the trees
get, but climate change and the unpredictability that comes with nature can make it hard to guess.
For instance, Mack and the grounds crews were initially anticipating the peak bloom to hit around March 20 but an unexpected cold snap the previous weekend stunted their growth, pushing their blooms back at least a week.
“We always try to be a little more conservative in our guessing, Mack said.
Once the buds start blooming
though, it’s truly a sight to be seen. Thousands of blush pink and white flowers punctuate the riverfront, a welcome sight during some of Ohio’s grayest days.
Once they’re in bloom, it’s a small window if you want to see the trees in their full glory, Mack said. The petals are in bloom for only about 10 to 14 days before they begin to leaf out. Even after the blossoms are gone though, Mack said, the trees offer excellent shade and nice
views along the university’s bike path.
“We’re very proud of them and very thankful to have them,” Mack said. “Even though it’s such a short window, we love experiencing peak bloom.”
Those waiting in anticipation of peak bloom can visit Ohio University’s cherry blossom webpage or follow @globalohio on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date. shendrix@dispatch.com @sheridan120