Best places to view Cherry Blossom this spring
Best places to view Kawazan, Yoshino blooming cherry blossom trees in Tacoma-Seattle area.
By Rachel Meatte
Ephemeral is the word associated with the popular Cherry Blossoms called Sakura in Japan. They are a beautiful, sweet reminder of impermanence of life all around us each year.
In the U.S. these trees grow in all sorts of regions including the Pacific Northwest.
Sakura trees are seen all over Washington and thrive best in wet and cool temperatures around 45 degrees, yet they are also known to live in warmer climates like California and Georgia. What makes this tree even more rare is the fact they are only in bloom for one to two weeks. This encourages people to catch a glimpse of the elegant pink and white pedals that paint the world in a colorful hue.
The University of Washington’s main campus in Seattle remains the best-known spot to view 29 large Yoshino trees reaching heights of 40 feet tall. Thousands of people visit the quad location of the UW campus to view the dazzling white, pink flowers covering the grounds in spring.
The tallest tree stands at 47 feet tall and overlooks the large campus ground where students enjoy the shade. The setting is a pictorial dreamy setting reminiscent of a Japanese village. You feel like you’re walking into a Zen oasis when you pass by these incredible feats of nature.
Be warned as it’s extremely crowded during this time so it’s best to wait until students are in class to enjoy the scenery or visit early in the morning.
Wapato Hills is a large 80-acre park located in central Tacoma that incumbers a significant number of Cherry Blossoms during springtime that attract visitors. The park faces a large tranquil lake where runners and dog owners come during the summer with kids.
The park features beautiful, noteworthy Yoshino trees that sprinkle beautiful petals leaving a blushed pink and white hue around the park. It’s a less crowded area than the Seattle campus and has perfect areas to sit and watch the giant beauties.
Wright Park is another perfect area that houses over 600 Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms amongst dozens of other tree varieties. Kwanzan trees are a special type known for their abundant large blooms that feature vibrant pink colors similar to lotus flowers.
You can view these in several neighborhoods and downtown street corners with some reaching heights of 25 feet tall. In an architecturally modern area, these trees bring life and color to cities. The 27-acre space has a variety of other plants and trees that create a harmonious paradise and exude vibrancy in the spring.
Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park features 50 perfect Yoshino Cherry Blossoms that flower around a perfect Zen oasis. The park was founded in 1994 by The Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation to commemorate the 1885 expulsion of Tacoma’s Chinese citizens.
The park is an incredible attraction that hosts a variety of events each year including the Moon festival where multiple Asian businesses and organizations come together to celebrate the heritage of Asian Americans in Tacoma. The park is a significant part of Tacoma’s history and provides the perfect setting for these delicate, colorfully rich trees to thrive.
The Point Defiance Park in Tacoma has been revamped quite a few times in the past few years. After years of construction on Owens beach, a bridge was built that connected the park to Point Ruston for joggers and families to enjoy. In multiple areas near this path, you can catch a glimpse of the Kwanzan and Yoshino variety standing nearby Douglas firs or Giant Sequoias.
The overwhelming abundance of plant varieties at Point Defiance Park helps complement these magnificent trees and make the majestic forests people love to enjoy. There are no designated areas for these trees, so when you visit, you can play a game of eye-spy a Sakura. Sunny days with a breeze would be the perfect opportunity to enjoy these vibrant floras.
Many Asian temples and churches throughout Tacoma and Seattle have several varieties of Cherry Blossoms including the Tacoma Buddhist Temple which showcases a wonderfully rich red and pink Prunus variety. Its notable blush red pedals create a cluster of blossoms on dark branches.
The tree sits in front of a purple Wisteria behind the Temple gate that also blooms in late Spring giving a wonderful sight to admire on your way in. Many of the Sakura tree seeds came from Japan, which is common practice for nurseries who grow them.
Historically, many of the Cherry Blossoms found in Washington were a token of friendship from the Japanese government following the peace treaty between the U.S. and Japan.
The temple is a specific sect of Buddhism originating from Japan which was founded by the Japanese monk Shinran Shonin. Each year, the temple celebrates different Japanese cultural events including Bon Odori, Hanamasuri and Sukiyaki dinner.
Planting a beautiful, vivid red Sakura in front of the temple reflects the deeper cultural exchange between the U.S. and Japan.
