A bloomin’ great year for cherry blossom!
For months, the branches have been bare. Then, almost overnight, the trees have burst into flower. In parks and gardens up and down the country, cherry blossom is in bloom. Along with the swallows returning from Africa, these wondrous clouds of pink and white fill our hearts with joy that spring is here. And this spring is particularly special.
Parts of the North may have seen unseasonal snow, but weather conditions across much of Britain — warm, sunny days and cool, clear nights — have been ideal for cherry blossom. Guy Barter, of the royal Horticultural Society, says it is the best in years, with visitors flocking to the society’s showpiece garden at Wisley in Surrey.
Because there are so many kinds of cherry tree, the blossom season lasts for several months, as varieties come into flower at different times, depending on where in the country you live. For some, especially those who live in the milder South-West of England, the blossom has been around for a while now.
In parts of Devon and Cornwall, where winter temperatures rarely drop below zero, cherry blossom can appear as early as January.
But, for the rest of us, April is the best month to enjoy it — coming as it does between magnolia and wisteria. originally from the Himalayas, all of the many kinds of cherry descend from wild trees of the genus Prunus, which also includes plums, damsons, peaches and apricots.
Gardeners have cultivated dozens of varieties to produce a marvellous array of colours — from purest white through subtle blushing rose to a deep, almost reddish pink.
Individual trees may even change colour: from
white when the flowers first emerge to pink later on. The number of petals per flower varies, too: from as few as five in most wild trees to more than 20 in some cultivated plants.
Cherry blossom can be seen throughout the Northern hemisphere, as well as in its original home in Asia.
It has a special significance in Japan, where the change from frozen winter to warm spring is dramatic.
Though we don’t have formal celebrations like the Japanese, many Britons make an annual pilgrimage to parks and botanical gardens to marvel at these glorious trees. The best places to see them include Kew Gardens in South-West London, the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm in Kent, Tatton Park in Cheshire, Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, and the Royal Parks in London.
So make the most of it — in just a few weeks’ time, these glorious floral displays will be over for another year.
DO you think your cherry blossom is the most beautiful in Britain? Send a photo to cherryblossom@dailymail.co.uk