Despite the snow I still managed to get a couple small things done outside this weekend. The most notable and exciting was the planting of the ‘Yoshino ‘ Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). It is the first plant I’ve been able to put in the ground on our property this year. I’ve been planning this one since we bought the house. What’s great is that I didn’t have to spend a dime for the tree, it was a gift! This past Christmas I received a gift card and finally used part of it. It may not look that large from the picture but it stands between 8-10 feet tall.
The Yoshino Cherry trees along with several other varieties came as a gift from the Mayor of Tokyo, Japan in 1912. Originally 3,000 of these trees were given to decorate Washington D.C. and the U.S. reciprocated by giving flowering dogwoods to Japan as a symbol of friendship. Japan gave another 3,800 trees to the U.S. in 1965. What I found interesting about the history of the cherries was that in 1981 a flood destroyed many of the original Yoshino Cherry trees in Japan. Horticulturalists from Japan then came to the United States to take cuttings from the gifted trees to bring back to Japan. You can read all of this information and more at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Website. Sometimes plants have some interesting stories!
As for other gardening related events of the weekend I bought a Shepherd’s hook for two of our bird feeders. Now maybe the Mockingbirds won’t be able to guard all the food.
Earlier in the week I plants several types of seeds, mostly flower seeds. I talk about them later in the week. Maybe they will sprout soon and I can show some photos of them. This week I’ll be starting my vegetable seeds so keep checking back!
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Great Dave, glad you got your cherry tree planted. We put one in the first year we moved here, 2000, and it has been pruned hopefully to look the the Washington trees. I hope to do a post on it when it blooms, around the end of March here. Hope you get some flowers on yours too.
Frances at Faire Garden
Good, for you. You’ll love that cherry tree. We have some trouble growing them here. I actually have had some success with a sour cherry variety, but not an ornamental one.~~Dee
Dave,
I love the cherry tree. We have one in our front yard. The bark is nice, too.
You wrote that you have been planning to plant a cherry since you moved in, where did you plant it in the yard?
Gail
Hip-Hip hurrah Dave! You got that Cherry Tree!
My grandfather planted one for my grandmother and many years later, they discovered it was over the septic tank and it had to come out for repairs. My grandmother never got over loosing her Cherry Tree….
I have been to see the Cherry Trees in DC during the blossom festival and they are spectacular! Need to plan a trip if you have not seen them…
i thought it was interesting that the first shipment from Japan had to be destroyed due to insects and nematodes. that i did not know. glad you got your cherry planted.