Q: What are Cherry Blossoms?
A:
Cherry Blossoms cover the cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin at the base of the Jefferson Monument and are found many other places in the nation’s capital city. They are truly a thing of beauty. Based on the history of the trees in Washington, the pink and white blossoms today symbolize friendship and giving. As we drive to the Capitol each morning, Barbara and I enjoy a view of the trees around the Tidal Basin surrounding the Jefferson Memorial. Every April, visitors flood in from all over the United States and the rest of the world during the two-week long Cherry Blossom Festival. I always enjoy getting to meet with Iowans during their sightseeing trips to take in the Cherry Blossoms. There’s also a Cherry Blossom Princess Pageant each year with contestants from each state and federal territory. Last year was extra special because Iowa’s contestant was a former intern in my office, Josie Rundlett of Vinton.
Q: Where did the idea for the Cherry Blossoms come from?
A:
The idea of decorating the nation’s capital city with cherry trees has been around since at least 1885, but in the early 1900s first lady Helen Taft turned the idea into a reality. Mrs. Taft decided to put a suggestion of a constituent by the name of Eliza Scidmore to work by purchasing the cherry trees. A Japanese chemist contacted Mrs. Taft after hearing of her plans and wanted to donate 2,000 cherry trees. The original 2,000 cherry trees were then donated by the Embassy of Japan to the United States as a gift of friendship in 1910. The Department of Agriculture was charged with inspecting the trees, and they were found to be diseased and infected with insects. President Taft was forced to burn the trees, which caused a small setback for American-Japanese relations, but letters between the Secretary of State and the Japanese Ambassador stopped any ill will from the event. In 1912, the Japanese replaced the shipment of cherry trees by sending 3,020 of many varieties of cherry trees to the United States. It took workers until 1920 to finish planting the trees around the Tidal Basin. WWII thinned many of Japan’s groves of cherry trees, so in 1952 the United States was able to return the favor by shipping cuttings of the cherry trees. In 1965, when Lady Bird Johnson championed beautification projects across the country as first lady, the Japanese sent a gift of 3,800 more trees as a sign of friendship and goodwill. Then, in 1982, destruction struck when one of Japan’s rivers changed course, wiping out many of its cherry trees. The United States once again sent hundreds of trees to Japan to help replenish its population of trees. Because of this give and take between the United States and Japan, the cherry trees have come to symbolize giving and friendship between the U.S. and one of our strongest allies.