In Bloom

Photo by Abby Brack Lewis

We’ve been on cherry blossom watch here at the Library, waiting for our 100-year-old cherry blossom trees to bloom. The grounds of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building are home to two of the original group of 3,020 Yoshino cherry trees given to Washington, D.C., in 1912, by the city of Tokyo as a symbol of friendship between Japan and the United States. And, these two beauties are among only nine remaining from that group.

Recently, one of the trees (pictured here), located at the corner of Independence Avenue and 2nd Street, was given a plaque to officially mark it as a commemorative tree.

Photo by Abby Brack Lewis

The Library commemorates the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees with a webcast and an exhibition, “Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship,” which explores the origin of the donation, the significance of cherry blossoms in Japanese culture and the friendship between Japan and the U.S. as symbolized through the trees.