Yuki, Japan, Apr 23, 2022 (AFP) – Japan’s national symbol, the famous cherry trees cover the country in a blanket of delicate white blossoms from the popular “somei-yoshino” tree, enchanting locals and tourists alike. Now, some want to renew the tradition, expanding the color palette.
The “sakura” (cherry blossom) season causes a national fever, with weather services racing to guess when it will arrive, and the Japanese rolling out their picnic blankets for flower viewing parties.
The flowering of the dominant “somei-yoshino” variant, which accounts for more than 90% of cherry trees planted in Japan, only lasts for a week. It usually happens simultaneously in the same region, because the trees are clones of a single specimen.
Although the tree has become synonymous with “sakura”, it is a growing headache for city officials. This variety is prone to disease and tends to overgrow to be well-trimmed in urban areas.
“It’s about planting the right flora in the right place,” says Hideaki Tanaka, a “sakura” expert who is trying to popularize other variations.
“There are all kinds of ‘sakura’, not just somei-yoshino. I want to help recreate the old days when people enjoyed a wide variety,” says Tanaka, 63.
This man runs a farm in Yuki, in the eastern province of Ibaraki, where he has around 1,000 cherry trees of 400 different varieties.
– Promoting Diversity -Your farm is managed by the Japan Flower Association, which sends cherry blossom specimens to communities that want to create quirky landscapes to attract tourists and please locals.
They have already distributed three million seeds, including the ubiquitous “somei-yoshino” strain. Now they promote the “jindai-akebono” strain, which is more resistant to infection and grows to a more discreet size, making pruning easier.
Its flowers are born around four days before “somei-yoshino” and are darker pink in color.
During fierce urban development between the 1950s and 1980s, cities competed to plant millions of fast-growing “somei-yoshino” trees.
Decades later, many of these cherry trees were not pruned properly. In addition, they have a long growth, sometimes as tall as a five-story building, with wide branches, huge trunks and, eventually, holes and bulky roots that can crack sidewalks.
The taller specimens can pose a danger during typhoon season, which gives authorities more reason to consider a replacement.
First, however, they will first have to convince the residents.
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