At the turn of the century, Dr David Fairchild took an interest in the Japanese cherry tree, gifting saplings to DC schoolboys to mark Arbor Day. He envisioned a "Field of Cherries" along Independence Avenue Southwest. This idea, in turn, re-energized Scidmore and she sent a proposal to First Lady Taft, outlining her plan to purchase and donate cherry trees to the district. As a one-time resident of Japan and lover of the cherry trees, the First Lady agreed. Simultaneously, a visiting Japanese consul learned of the plan and generously donated 2,000 additional cherry trees.

A tree grows in Washington
In April 1909, the district purchased 90 cultivar Shirofugen cherry trees from a Pennsylvania nursery and planted them along the Potomac. In January 1910, 2,000 cherry trees arrived in Washington, a gift from the city of Tokyo.

Sadly, despite Japan's good intentions, the trees were diseased and eventually destroyed to protect American cultivars. Upon learning the trees' fate, Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki replaced all 2,000 trees and included 1,020 additional cherry trees as a goodwill gesture. Varieties included Yoshino, Ariake, Kwanzan and nine other species. In spring 1912, with the Japanese Ambassador's wife at her side, the First Lady planted the first two cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin. Amazingly, the two Yoshino cherry trees are still standing today and the small, unassuming ceremony marking the occasion has swelled to epic proportions. Planting of the trees continued throughout the early 1900s.

Celebrating the cherry
Throughout the years, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has blended Japanese and American culture into one of Washington's most spectacular events. In 1949, the festival crowned its first Cherry Blossom Queen and selected Cherry Blossom Princesses, representing each state and US territory, to participate in the festivities. During the 1950's, several Japanese structures were erected amid the trees.

In the Japanese tradition of giving and friendship, Japanese horticulturists have traveled to DC to take cuttings from the trees to restore Japan's stock, much of which was destroyed during World War II. Heeding First Lady Johnson's (Lady Bird) beautification plan for the country, Japan gifted 3,800 additional trees to the district in 1965. Again in 1981 and 1982, the Japanese returned to the states for additional cuttings to aid their quest to retain the cherry trees' genetic code.

A legacy of goodwill
An integral part of the festival is predicting the peak blooming time of the cherry trees. The average peak bloom time for the Yoshino cherry tree is April 5 and April 22 for the Kwanzan trees.

So enjoy the blossoms. They are truly a legacy of goodwill that will continue well into this century and hopefully, the next one.