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Very windy weather was forecast for this week, so I expected much of the blossom to be blown off our ‘Kanzan’ flowering cherry. It’s in front of the house, which is the most exposed part of our garden, and it was no surprise to see its branches waving around as the wind strengthened. Soon there was a scatter of petals that looked like giant pink snowflakes all across the grass.
To my surprise, most of the blossom survived the rough winds and the tree is still displaying its characteristic round balls of flowers. It must have been still early in the life-cycle of these flowers for them to be robust enough to resist being torn off the tree – a few days later would have been a different story. (I’m relieved to see that the blossom is still on our fruit trees in the back garden too, so we can hope for apples and cherries later.)
The cherry tree itself is in a state of ‘hanging on’ too. It already looked very mature and had seen some damage by the time we came here in 2005, so it must be old for a cherry tree by now. ( I’ve read that their maximum lifespan is around 30 to 40 years, with Kanzan only having about 25 years.) Despite being at least 30 years old, the tree is keeping going. It doesn’t flower as profusely as it used to, but still has a good number of flowers for us to admire. We’ll simply enjoy it while it lasts. 🌸
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
In both photographs the pink works well against the white background. Are those blossoms fragrant?
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I have never smelt any fragrance from these, but then I don’t have the strongest sense of smell. (I have read that some cherry blossom does have a faint fragrance, so I must go out and have a sniff at the fruiting cherry’s blossom. The ornamental cherry blossom is too high up to get my nose anywhere near!)
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Beautiful images Ann, showing the absolute delicacy of the blossom. It’s amazing how tough the flowers can be in the face of freezing winds, hail and rain!
The flowering cherry in our front garden [ I don’t know what it is exactly ] was well established when we bought our house, and must be at least 45 years old by now. We are lucky it seems that it’s still flowering so profusely. I didn’t realise they had such a relatively short life span. We did lose the same type of flowering cherry that was in our north facing back garden, one that had obviously been planted at the same time.
I picked some of the blossom a few days ago, and it does have a gorgeous delicate scent, when freshly picked.
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I had no idea about the lifespan of cherry trees until ours started to look a bit sad. Now I realise that it has done well and like you, we’re lucky that it is still flowering. (Though not as densely as it used to.) I’m intrigued that yours has a scent – couldn’t detect any on ours. (But maybe it’s my nose, hehe!)
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In my mind, cherry blossom is one of the great joys of spring. At its best it is absolutely breath-taking, and I’m always saddened when the petals fall…it’s one of those markers of the turning of the seasons, a warning that very soon daylight hours will be getting shorter, and before we know it the shops will be stocking up with Christmas fare again. Bah humbug!
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Our cherry tree here was in full blossom when we moved into the house, so it always reminds me of the excitement we felt as our purchase of it finally went through! (Buying it was a bit of a long drawn-out process and such a relief to complete. Every time we passed the house in the house in the time leading up to completion, my eyes were drawn to the lovely cherry tree. 🙂 )
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Look at us! Two bloggers, two posts, two delicate pinks! My childhood home had both cherry and apple trees, and when they bloomed at the same time, the effect was magical. I don’t remember any fragrance, but I do remember the ‘blizzards’ of petals falling. I’m glad your flowers hung on for you a bit longer. It’s always sad to see a tree reaching old age, but one that continues to flower is a delight.
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Our back garden is lovely now in spring because we have a Morello cherry and a couple of apple trees together, all in bloom. (And a small pear tree nearby.) I also have some more fruit trees to plant… 🙂 What a happy time spring is!
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I’m glad most of your blossoms survived the storm, Ann. This light pink makes them appear delicate, but they proved that one shouldn’t judge a flower by its colour. 🙂
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Yes, not as delicate as they look! (Though I’m glad the windy period didn’t last more than a few days because they probably would have blown off the tree eventually.)
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Then you are lucky. Our winds often last for weeks, especially at this time of year. 😦
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Good post.I subscribed. Have a happy day🍀☘️✨⭐️
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Thank you! I wish you a happy day too! 🙂
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Nice to know your blossom has hung on. My village, Slaithwaite, has a row of cherry trees opposite the church, and they are surprisingly still in blossom. Usually, the wind blows it all off very quickly. This year the blossom coincided with the flowering of the big magnolia nearby.
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Strong winds in spring can be disastrous – not this time, thankfully! (I’m especially glad that the fruit tree blossom survived!) The magnolia and cherry trees together must be magnificent.
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Yes it was. Usually the magnolia is done by the time the cherry trees are blossoming.
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