Hanami: a long-standing Japanese tradition to welcome spring and celebrate the temporal beauty of nature. People gather under blooming cherry blossoms to share food, drink, songs, companionship and the beauty of sakura (cherry blossoms).
The National Trust launched its first nationwide celebration of blossom last year on April 24. It encouraged everyone to share photos of their local blossoming trees as part of its #BlossomWatch campaign. And it seems people just love blossoms viewing more than 5.5m photos that were shared using the hashtag. This year’s event will take place on April 23.
The Trust’s commitment to planting more trees has already given us the first blossom circles in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, adding even more colour to London’s revitalised east end. The Trust is also planning 50 more projects which should be completed this year in four cities and 46 Trust properties. Copses were created in Coventry, Newcastle, Nottingham and Plymouth last winter, all of which will be in full bloom to welcome Spring. Coventry, in particular, is celebrating its tenure as City of Culture with newly planted trees in the 70-acre Charterhouse Heritage Park.
On a personal note, just around the corner from my old office at the FT, on the river close to Borough Market, there were several billowing cherry trees in the Spring. All of them surrounded by a gaggle of young students taking selfies and scuffing through the fallen blossoms. The scent was uplifting.
My personal favourite is our apple tree close to the kitchen door. Those delicate pink buds have bees buzzing around purposefully, announcing that the warm days are on their way. I look forward to seeing all the pics as the Trust builds towards what it is calling a blossom crescendo in time for Blossom Day.
Let’s keep talking plants.
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