Library of Trees—Yoshino Cherry

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The beautiful display of Yoshino cherry blossoms is always a welcome harbinger of spring.

Michael Dirr

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n Japan each spring a fairy maiden hovers low in the warm sky, awakening the sleeping cherry trees with her delicate breath. At least that is how legend explains the sudden burst of beauty as flowering cherries blossom throughout the land. This annual event is so embedded in Japanese culture that poems abound celebrating the cherries and lamenting their brief stay. They stand as a powerful symbol to the beautiful but transient nature of all life.

In 1912, Yukio Ozaki, the mayor of Tokyo, sent 3,000 of the most spectacular variety of his nation’s flowering cherries as a gift to the City of WashingPage 2 • The National Arbor Day Foundation Library of Trees • YOSHINO CHERRY

ton, DC. This began the first largescale planting of cherries around the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial in our capital – a gift of Yoshino cherries intended as a symbol of friendship and mutual respect.

No one knows for sure how Yoshino cherry was developed. It was introduced in Tokyo in 1872 and is believed by some to be a cross between Prunus subhirtella and either P. serrulata or P. speciosa.

Whatever its origin, it is called Someiyoshino in Japan and was given the name, yedonensis, to honor the Japanese capital, Tokyo, but using the city’s old name, Yeddo.

Among the Trees

The Cherry Blossom Story— With a Twist

By James R. Fazio, Editor The National Arbor Day Foundation Library of Trees

Yoshino Cherry - A Legendary Beauty

s most visitors to Washington, DC, know, the city’s beautiful cherry trees were a gift from Japan. But when it comes to memorial trees or other special trees planted in honor of people or events, sometimes things don’t work out as expected. There is a lesson in this, so here is the rest of the story.

The famous introduction of Yoshino cherries to Washington, DC, began with Mr. David Fairchild. This learned gentleman had the

unusual job of roaming the world on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture looking for potentially new crops that could be grown in our country. In 1902 while in Japan, he was shown water color paintings of the finest Japanese flowering cherries in full bloom. It is fair to say he fell in love with these trees, despite the fact that his employer was not interested because such trees offered neither food nor forage.

Eventually Fairchild and his wife (the daughter of Alexander Bell) experimented with some imported cherries at their estate in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The trees thrived and the couple enlisted the help of a noted writer on Japan, Eliza Scidmore, to champion the cause of making Washington, DC, a mecca of flowering cherries. Together, they sponsored an Arbor Day planting of cherries at the city schools and attracted the interest of First Lady Helen Taft. Thanks to this top-level connection and national publicity about the Arbor Day ceremonies, there came the gift of Yoshino cherries from the mayor of Tokyo - but not in 1912 as the tourist brochures proclaim. The first gift came in 1910 - 2,000 large caliper flowering cherry trees. Unfortunately, along with the trees came a menagerie of insect and disease pests. The problem was spotted by the watchful eyes of authorities in the newly-established Plant Quarantine Section of the USDA and the whole shipment was burned. I have access to a photo of the piles (Continued on page 8)

Michael Ventura

Michael Dirr

Yoshino cherry has become perhaps the most popular of all cultivated flowering cherry trees. It flowers early in the year providing a spectacular show of pink and white that defies description. It fills the air with a faint almond scent and its small fruits are eaten by birds so that ground and walkways beneath remain clean. Yoshino cherry grows faster and flowers sooner than most of its relatives and tolerates a wide range of soil textures. This tree is truly a living legend – and one of the most beautiful.

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A mixture of Yoshino and other flowering cherry trees grace our national capital. The originals were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo. In 1912, he wrote in a letter accompanying a shipment of 3,000 young trees saying that they were “a small token of the very high esteem in which the people of this city hold your great country.”

Library of Trees • YOSHINO CHERRY • Page 3

Yoshino Cherry

Prunus x yedoensis

FLOWERS: A spectacular bloom before or just as leaves unfurl in mid-spring (March-April, depending on location).

The white or pinkish flowers are slightly fragrant and have 5 petals. Each flower is 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter, borne in groups of 4 or 5, and densely massed on the tree.

WILDLIFE VALUE: High. The small fruits are popular with robins, cardinals, waxwings and a host of other birds and small mammals.

LEAVES: Alternate, oval or broadly eggshaped, 2-1/2 to 4-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches wide.

Double-toothed on the margin with the tip slender and pointed.

Often reddish as they emerge, turning dark green and smooth above with soft fuzz on the veins beneath.

Yellow autumn color.

Where Yoshino Cherry Can Grow

Michael Dirr

This tree grows widely in Japan where it was probably developed. In North America, it can be planted on appropriate sites in hardiness zones 5 through 8.

Page 4 • The National Arbor Day Foundation Library of Trees • YOSHINO CHERRY

How to Plant and Care For Yoshino Cherry Site Requirements Y

oshino cherry is a moderately fast growing tree if planted correctly and provided with the little care it requires.

• Full sun • Acidic, moist, well-drained soil • Loam or clay is best, but will tolerate sandy soil • Free of salt, both in soil or airborne (ocean or de-icing salt)

Planting Bare Root Seedlings Michael Dirr

The two most common mistakes to avoid are: (1) allowing the roots to dry, even briefly, and (2) planting too deeply. When you receive your seedlings it is best to soak them in a bucket of water for 3 to 6 hours, then plant immediately. If this is not possible, there are two options that will keep your trees safely stored:

Michael Dirr

BARK: Thin, reddish-brown with prominent, horizontal lenticels.

• Refrigerate When you receive bare root seedlings, the trees should be dormant. Open the shipping package and re-dampen the roots, perhaps wrapping them in moist paper towels. Replace in package and store in a refrigerator, free of fruits or vegetables or a garage if the temperature is between 35 to 45 degrees F. This method is suitable for up to 5 days.

• Temporary Planting For storing longer than 5 days, a method called “heeling in” can be used. To do this, simply dig a trench in good garden soil, preferably where it can be shaded. Remove the seedlings and soak their roots for 3 to 6 hours. Then lay the seedlings in an angled side of the trench. Cover the roots with soil and water generously.

When ready to plant: FORM: A medium-sized tree that often matures at 20 to 30 feet in height, but can reach as much as 50 feet. Its moderately dense crown is rounded or spreading with a width of 25 to 40 feet. The limbs are slender and brownish.

FRUIT: Small, black cherries about 1/2 inch in diameter.

• Remove all grass or weeds within a 3-foot circle.

Proper depth • Turn over the soil within that 3-foot circle and is no deeper than the top of another foot or two beyond. the uppermost • Dig a hole suffi ciently deep and wide in which all roots (root flare) roots can fit. Prune off any that are damaged or extraordinarily long.

Refill with • While holding the seedling at the proper depth (see illustration), carefully refill the hole with the native soil same soil that was taken out (not planting soil or other mixes).

• Water, rather than tamping with your foot or tool, to firm the soil around the roots and remove air pockets.

• Cover the 3-foot circle with 2 to 4 inches of mulch, but keep it from touching the seedling. This will help control weeds, keep the soil moist, and proLoosened Hole adequate tect the tree from lawn mowers and weed cutters. soil to accommodate

Caring For Your Tree

Michael Dirr

If planting is delayed for a week or two, a good method of storage is to lay your seedlings along the angled side of a trench in garden soil.

roots

In general, very little care is needed. Keep your tree’s roots moist during dry periods, keep fire away, and - while it’s young - place wire or a tree tube around it if rabbits or deer are a problem. The only pruning necessary is to remove basal stem suckers, dead branches, or diseased wood.

Fertilizing should be avoided for at least two years, and then done only if the soil is found to be deficient in nitrogen or one of the other essential elements. However, fertilizer can be helpful if your tree suffers from leaf spots or twig cankers. In this case, prune off the infected wood and fertilize the root zone.

The National Arbor Day Foundation Library of Trees • YOSHINO CHERRY • Page 5

Festivals to Celebrate Trees – and More M

Page 66 • • The The National National Arbor Arbor Day Day Foundation Foundation Library Library of of Trees Trees • • YOSHINO YOSHINO CHERRY CHERRY Page

Below: Macon’s Central City Park comes alive with activities when the Yoshino Cherry trees bloom.

Bottom: Tree planting in parks and along streets and avenues has been part of Macon, Georgia’s annual festival. More than 300,000 cherry trees have beautified the city since the inception of the event.

Photos on this page by Glenn Grossman

acon, Georgia, has been declared in the Congressional Record “Cherry Blossom Capital of the United States.” The Japanese Consul General upped the honor to “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World” – quite a tribute from a country that has had annual cherry blossom celebrations for over 1,000 years!

Macon’s love affair with Yoshino cherries began in 1952 when businessman William Fickling found that a favorite tree on his land was the same as the famous ones that bloom beside the Tidal Basin. He was so enamored with the trees he began propagating cuttings and donating them for planting throughout Macon.

In 1973, long-time National Arbor Day Foundation trustee Carolyn Crayton was a newcomer in Macon, but soon became acquainted with the Fickling family and was quickly caught up in the enthusiasm for the pink beauties of springtime.

Carolyn organized a neighborhood planting project that resulted in 500 new cherry trees in the community. Thanks to her winning spirit of cooperation and reaching out to others, her project saw Georgia Power digging the planting holes, Georgia Forestry Commission providing technical advice, and local stores donating materials.

It was this spirit of community involvement that launched Macon’s first Cherry Blossom Festival in 1983. What began with 34 committees involving 95 volunteers and 40 festival events today annually involves 90 committees, a full time staff of 10, nearly 4,000 volunteers and over 500 events.

“The trees bring such joy and happiness,” says Mrs. Crayton. “So many wonderful things happen.” These would include 300,000 cherry trees planted through the years and an annual inflow of $10 million to the community. More than that, the festival has won friends from around the world and has clearly met its expressed goal “to enhance the quality of life, community fellowship, and civic pride for all Macon residents…” To learn more about this premier festival of trees and its events, visit the festival Web site at www.cherryblossom.com.

Some Other Tree Festivals Late March Mid-April Mid-April Late April Mid-May Late May Early June Mid-Sept.

Mid-Sept.

Mid-Sept.

September Late Sept.

Late Sept.

Early Oct. Mid-Oct. December

National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC Dogwood Festival, Atlanta, GA and many other locations Orange Blossom Festival, Lindsay, CA and other locations Maple Festival, St. Albans, VT and many other locations Lilac Festival, Rochester, NY and other locations Locust Blossom Festival, Kendrick, ID Magnolia Festival, Durant, OK and other locations AppleJack Festival, Nebraska City, NE Pawpaw Festival, Lake Snowden, Albany, OH Peach Festival, Live Oak, CA Poison Oak Festival, Columbia, CA Autumn Leaf Festival, Leavenworth, WA and other locations Leaf Peepers Festival, Davis, WV National Apple Harvest Festival, Arendtsville, PA Black Walnut Festival, Spencer, WV Festival of (Christmas) Trees, Lewiston, ID

Below: Over $10 million dollars a year are brought into the local economy thanks to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

Below: Yoshino Cherry trees are featured everywhere in Macon, as can be seen in this street sign outside the headquarters of the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Garret LeSage

Bottom Left: Marathon runners make their way through the blooming cherries on the campus of Wesleyan College. The event is one of about 500 that involve people of all ages and attract visitors from throughout the nation and even overseas.

Advice on Hosting a Tree Festival

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arolyn Crayton, founder of Macon’s highly successful Cherry Blossom Festival, was asked what advice she might have for other community leaders thinking about starting a tree festival. “What didn’t work?” we asked her. “I can’t think of a thing,” she replied! Below are some of the things that did help make Macon’s event become a model for others.

• Give out trees. Through private donations, over 6,500 Yoshino cherry seedlings are grown and distributed free to visitors.

• Work year ’round. Staff and volunteers work not only on the festival but on parks, beautification, litter cleanup and other civic projects.

• Use every available form of mass media for publicity.

Even handsome street signs around town (that credit adopters for litter control) are complete with the Cherry Blossom Festival logo.

• Recognize that everyone has a talent to share. It may be calligraphy, brochure design, a green thumb for planting, or other. You need only to seek them out.

Garret LeSage

• Meet with groups and ask how they would like to help or be involved.

• Seek sponsorships for the various events. In Macon, this allows 90 percent of the activities to be free to the public.

It is necessary to charge for some events such as a fashion show, gala ball, lunch with book authors, etc.

• Involve the entire community!

Left: Everyone pitches in at festival time, including the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department.

The firefighters’ Pink Pancakes Breakfast raises money for the American Cancer Society.

Glenn Grossman

Glenn Grossman

The National Arbor Day Foundation Library of Trees • YOSHINO CHERRY • Page 7

Controlling the Bloom

Using Yoshino in the Landscape

Steve Terrill

In Hirosaki, Japan, up to two million visitors descend on the city to enjoy its cherry blossoms during what they call Golden Week. Similarly, thousands visit Washington, DC, hoping to time their arrival to see the spectacular burst of cherry blossoms.

Naturally, officials who oversee these events worry about whether or not the blossoms will cooperate and bloom on the days the big events are scheduled.

Cherry trees set next year’s flower buds during the summer. The buds then require somewhere between 500 and 600 hours of chilling between 32 and 45 degrees F. When spring arrives, they need a certain number of “heat units.” All of this varies with species and location, but the exact dates of blossoming can vary by a week or more from year to year.

In Macon, snow flurries fell on the first festival, but its famous trees have never failed to bloom on March 23, the birthday of the late William Fickling.

The festival is always scheduled accordingly. Other tree-related festivals are not always as fortunate. In Japan,

Yoshino cherry is a versatile tree and makes a particulary good choice as a small to medium specimen tree.

researchers are experimenting with everything from chemical treatments to packing snow around the trees in an effort to control the bloom. Orchardists routinely use chemicals such as gibberellin and Etherel® to control timing the blossoms for fruit production, but most communities that celebrate their trees just hope for the best.

Among the Trees (Continued from page 3) of trees going up in smoke, but it is too ghastly to blemish the pages of this beautiful issue.

This unhappy episode can be summed up by saying that Mrs. Taft was embarrassed, Miss Scidmore was disgusted, and Mr. Fairchild confessed to “many sleepless nights.”

Relief came to the awkward situation thanks to the graciousness of the mayor of Tokyo. His letter announcing a replacement shipment is a masterpiece of tact and charm. He expressed gratitude for the destruction of the first shipment because “it would have pained us endlessly to have (the trees) remain a permanent source of trouble” and he assured the city parks superintendent that “the present trees have been raised under the special care of scientific experts and are reasonably expected to be free from the defects of their predecessors.” The second gift arrived in 1912. This time there were 3,000 flowering cher-

ries. Mrs. Taft planted the first one and the Japanese ambassador planted the second one. The trees formed the foundation for the sylvan display that graces the Tidal Basin today.

To me, the lesson from all this is not only the importance of plant inspections, but also an awareness that sometimes the best of intentions go awry – but can be righted.

I know of several specially-planted trees where today only a plaque remains, a lasting monument to how not to handle a bad situation.

When a memorial trees dies or is vandalized, the following steps should be taken: (1) the donor should be promptly notified and given a complete explanation of what happened, (2) the individual should be assured that the tree will be replaced with the same species, and (3) the tree should, indeed, be quickly and quietly replaced. I am sure the mayor of Tokyo would agree – it’s the best you can do in a bad situation.

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Yoshino cherry seedlings grow quite rapidly so they begin to add their attributes to the landscape quickly. They are a versatile tree that can be used in many ways to beautify your yard. They make a fine specimen tree; that is, a tree used as the focal point or main feature of the landscape you plan or manage.

They are famous for being positioned next to water features where the beauty of their spring flowers are reflected and magnified. They can be equally effective next to patios or decks, in buffer strips, or as backdrops to gardens as long as their shade does not interfere with other plants. They are even recommended for container plantings unless the site is too hot and dry.

THE LIBRARY OF

TREES

© 2006

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by The National Arbor Day Foundation

The Library of Trees is published by John E. Rosenow, President, The National Arbor Day Foundation Editor: Dr. James R. Fazio, Professor of Conservation Social Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho Layout & Design: Gerreld L. Pulsipher, Consortium West, Salt Lake City, Utah Reviewers for this issue: Wright Tilley, President & CEO, Cherry Blossom Festival, Macon, Georgia; Esmaeil Fallahi, Professor and Research Director, Pomology Program, University of Idaho, Parma Research and Extension Center, Parma, Idaho Cover Photo: Yoshino cherry trees provide graceful contrast in a traditional Japanese garden. Photo by Steve Terrill Your love of trees can make a lasting difference. Please consider The National Arbor Day Foundation in your will.

For information call 888-448-7337 and ask for gift planning, or e-mail mmusick@arborday.org.

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