Cherry blossom bouquets
Bounce-sway in warm breeze,
Spring pink petals fall.
Writing a blog post with photos about cherry blossom season, is an act of memory and hope for me. Every time. A thrust forward into the near future with happy expectations of pink bursting-birth all over Vancouver.
And Nature delivers every spring. You’re never certain when the blossoms will start. This year a handful of cherry trees started in late February, along with a carpet of yellow and white daffodils in Kitslano. Incredible.
When I was in Seattle, I snapped up the book, The Sakura Obsession by Naoko Abe, a seasoned Japanese journalist. The book covers the effort of Englishman, Collingwood Ingram who develops his botanist love for cherry trees. 
Such a love, that he became singularily devoted for most of his life, researching, raising and encouraging the cultivation of diverse cherry tree hybrids in Great Britain, North America (yes, Vancouver is mentioned) and ironically in Japan. Like his peers in the early 20th century, he and other
fellow rich landowning gentry, obtained from Japan and exchanged cherry tree cuttings with one another.
For a few decades in Japan, the cherry tree hybrid diversity, dwindled to one type, white and fast blossoming. Ingram becomes part of the movement to diversify Japan’s cherry cultivation back to what it was before.
The book also covers cultural aspects of cherry blossoms — including how cherry blossom motif was used as propaganda to promote the sacrifice of young Japanese war suicide bombers during WW II, whose died euphemistically, like falling cherry blossoms. It wasn’t until several decades later after war tragedies, that many Japanese could fully enjoy their own cherry blossom tree displays.
Today, there are more and more young and old in North America, who enjoy the fairy-like dancing cherry blossom boughs in parks and along some streets in Vancouver and other major cities. We have also enjoyed them in Seattle. I first experienced real cherry blossom power when I was in Washington DC several decades ago.
My heart springs gladly
Blushing shy amongst leaves,
Reveals warm flush of love-life.
Against mossy bark,
Behold tissue paper blossoms
Age-young delicate rests gently.
Cycle Write Blog 
Beautiful. Enjoy! We’ll get our cherry blossoms in 6-7 weeks’ time here in New Brunswick!
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Very interesting..since I don’t associate cherry blossoms with New Brunswick. Of course, it’s in a colder climate area. Wishing you a lovely spring and summer, Jane.
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Beautiful pictures. The Cherry blossoms look a lot like our Mexican plums and your plums look a lot like our Redbuds.
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Take care, and stay healthy,
Pit
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WIshing you a lovely spring, despite all the virus stuff Pit.
Enjoy every day!
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Oh I love cherry blossoms! We have a lot of them in nyc in roosevelt island and they look gorgeous in spring 😊
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Wishing you a lovely spring.
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We’ve got a beautiful avenue of cherry trees, about 20 minutes away on the bike. At this time of year I cycle up every couple of days to see how the blossom is coming on. This year it’s been gloriously sunny and I thought they be out early, but it’s up in the hills, and although the trees in the village are looking gorgeous, and have been for quite awhile, the avenue is still not out in all its glory yet. Thanks very much for the article, just lovely and informative.
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I learned from the book feature in cherry blossom post, that England has a number of cherry tree areas. That is not the international image of England.
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And we’ve load here in Scotland 🏴 too!
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Sorry, for mistaken country!
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No problem, a common mistake!
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