“LOVELIEST of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.”
A. E. Housman. 1859–
After last weeks delicate pink rhubarb, this week I am revelling in baby pink cherry blossom! The blossom season is so beautiful but also fleeting, so I have to make the most of it. Cherry trees do not grow particularly well on my heavy clay soil, but that does not stop me trying! When we moved here seven years ago there was one baby cherry tree growing in the front garden. Whilst far from mature, that tree is now finally settling in and this year there is enough blossom for me to be happy to pick not just a small twig to adorn a mixed arrangement but a whole vase of long stems – I was so excited when I cut these beautiful blooms!
I have added another five pink blossom trees since we moved here as well as a couple of later flowering white blossom trees and a fair few crab apples. One of the pink additions is Prunus × subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’. This tree will flower not only in the autumn but during late winter as well – this year (its first year) it has been in flower since mid February, although it is far too small to cut from. My spring flowering pink cherries will be followed by the later flowering white cherries, along with many apple, pear, plum and crab apple trees which should give me blossom into May, by which time the lilacs will be flowering.
I would love to visit Japan in the cherry blossom season. Japan appears to be awash with cherry trees and at this time of year the Japanese people like to celebrate the season with picnics underneath the blossom trees as well as poetry readings, photography and painting and, I have read, even Starbucks gets in on the act serving lattes sprinkled with blossom.
In Japan, the flowers are deeply symbolic linking to a long-held appreciation of the beauty of the fleeting nature of life. The blossoms symbolise new beginnings, with April 1 (which is also my birthday!) being the first day of both the financial and academic year in Japan.
I particularly love trying to capture the delicate beauty of blossom on camera. This is actually quite hard to do as if the light is not quite right the camera will produce a much harsher view of the blossom than my eye is seeing. These shots were taken on my DSLR with my 100mm macro lens. Shooting in the soft morning light of spring with my ISO set at 100, f stop 2.8 (the lowest my macro lens will go) and shutter speed 1/200 resulted in these pale ethereal shots.
I picked the blossom on Saturday morning and it is still looking good in a vase in my cool hallway. Whilst I would never expect delicate blooms like these to last for very long in the warmth of the house, I would be happy to bring them in for a dinner party or family lunch, knowing they will easily hold up for a day or two. I have quite a few tulips that are just about to pop, so I am hoping to be able to combine blossom and pastel tulips in a vase before the season is over. Next year I am planning to plant a mass of early flowering pale pink tulips underneath my biggest cherry tree – I tried it a couple of years ago with tulip Angelique but this double flowered tulip is too late for the cherry blossom – I think I need to pick a variety from the single early Triumph tulips which are usually the first to flower.
As always on a Monday I am linking in with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join in with her challenge to find something from the garden to put in a vase in the house every week. As spring continues to take over my garden with all her beautiful fresh blooms on trees, shrubs and in the border the challenge becomes easier every week!
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Julie, I enjoy the way you captured the gentle pink blooms of this cherry. Just a delight. Thanks for sharing the camera settings you used as well.
Thank you Susie – I don’t usually think to include camera settings so I am glad you found it useful.
Beautiful photos, as always, thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jenny – I am happy to hear that you enjoyed them. xx
I loved this post! Thanks also for including the camera settings you used. I hope someday I can take photos as well as you do!
Thank you Mary – it is only a few years ago that I had no idea how to use a DSLR – whatever camera you are using it really is just a matter of practicing as often as you can.
How very delicate. LOvely.
Thank you John!
What beautiful pink froth Julie, and this tall narrow vase accentuates their frothiness, as do your wonderful photographs. Thank you, as always, for sharing ps look forward to seeing your massed pink tulips under the blossom next year…
Thank you Cathy & I hope that manage to carry through with this plan! I have put it into my phone notes for the August bulb order but need to make sure I take out asap the yellow daffs that currently live under the cherry tree as these will not enhance the effect.
Your photos are amazing. I really love the last one. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Sally – I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed them. xx
Oh, gosh, pure heaven!
Thank you Eliza! xx
Such delicate pink clouds of loveliness. You’ve captured that feeling of gazing at a cherry tree in wonder. Thank you for including the camera settings; I need to get to grips with my macro lens (I haven’t used it for months.
Thank you Christine – I think I love my macro lens best – it just captures the light so well.
Fabulous pink frothiness Julie and one of my favourite poems too 🙂 I would also love to visit Japan in the cherry blossom season. It must be a spectacle. Rather incongruous to picture the presence of Starbucks in the celebrations.
I thought exactly that!! They never miss a trick, although I can’t see that cherry blossom adds much to coffee – but then I would never have a pumpkin latte either. Wouldn’t it be lovely to bump into each other under the cherry blossom in Japan one day!
Funnily enough I’ve just come across this article Julie which I thought that you might enjoy :
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardening-events/following-nose-search-japans-beautiful-blossom/
Thank you Anna for that recommendation – I really enjoyed reading it and have saved it for future reference if and when I get to plan my own trip to visit Japan.
Exquisitely beautiful. I remember picking up the fallen heads as a child. Your photographs really capture the delicate beauty.
Thank you Alison – I think falling blossom has a magical quality that appeals to the child inside all of us. xx
The cherry blossoms have such a delicate beauty and your photos captured it well, Julie! I had in mind to clip some stems of the peach tree down at the bottom of my back slope this week but, upon arrival with my clippers, I discovered that most of the petals were already on the ground. A week of unseasonably warm temperatures and high winds dispatched with that plan. With temperatures growing ever warmer in each season here, all our stone fruit trees are struggling.
The photographs of this beautiful blossom are amazing! It reminds me of my girls when they were children as they loved to play weddings with blossom of any kind!
Have a ‘blooming lovely’ birthday today just as I had for my birthday yesterday. My middle daughter, Rosemary, also shares her birthday with you!
Thank you Sandra & happy birthday to you & Rosemary! Haven’t we been lucky with the weather this year – it is not unusual for there to be snow flurries on my birthday but not this year. xx
Yes very lucky! A few weeks ago I felt overwhelmed, as we all do at this time of year, but the glorious weather has mean’t lots of time in the garden and feeling now that I’m ‘on track’!