UK hopes to emulate Japan with cherry blossom tourism plans | Trees and forests

Tourists have long travelled to Japan to see its famous cherry blossom in spring.

But the UK could soon have its own industry as the increasing number of the trees in the country draw large crowds each year when in bloom.

The bank holiday is expected to see large numbers of visitors from home and abroad heading to cherry blossom spots, with recent weather conditions creating a bumper year for the trees. On Thursday, dozens of people flocked to Battersea park to take pictures under the blooming row of cherry blossom trees.

The National Trust has vowed to plant 4m blossoming trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2030 as part of its wider tree-planting mission, as well as its Blossom Watch campaign, which encourages people to embrace the fleeting beauty of the trees each year.

“We’ve taken inspiration from the hanami festivals in Japan where there are blossom trees on a huge scale. Certainly, we’ve experienced lots of tourists coming to take photos of the blossoms and share them,” said Tom Grosvenor, a senior project manager for the National Trust in Birmingham.

Japanese snack company Sakuraco recently posted a list of the best UK cherry blossom spots for its customers, including a number of London parks and National Trust sites, if they want to experience sakura (cherry blossom) abroad.

“The original idea started during the first lockdown, which just so happened to coincide with blossom season. There was such an appetite for it so the programme celebrating blossom has gone from strength to strength and has become almost like a festival,” Grosvenor added.

He is leading the Birmingham Blossom programme, which saw 600 blossom trees planted along the city’s number 11 bus route in January to create a “ring of blossom” around the city, with many already in bloom.

The project is a reference to Birmingham’s botanical history when it was once known as a “town ringed by blossom” due to being surrounded by gardens and orchards in the mid-18th century.

“We offered out blossom trees to anyone who wanted one who lived within a 25 minute walk of that bus route, so that could be residents, schools, community groups. We had a really good response,” Grosvenor said.

“We want the trees to blossom each year and for people to enjoy it and remember the process behind it.”

The Birmingham tree-planting is the latest instalment in the trust’s legacy programme planting blossom trees in major UK cities.

The London Blossom Garden in east London opened in May 2021 to commemorate those that lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic, and blossom trees have also been planted in cities including Plymouth, Nottingham and Newcastle.

Grosvenor said the trust has concentrated its blossom tree-planting in urban areas where people have less access to nature and green spaces.

“Since the 1900s, Birmingham has lost about 85% of its orchards so we want to bring back some of that blossom,” he said. “As well them being beautiful and fantastic to look at, they are also really important for the wellbeing of our environment.”

He said the trees are enduringly popular due to their photogenic nature but also because of what they represent for many people.

“The fleeting nature of blossom is part of its beauty, it’s only around for a few weeks so you must appreciate it,” said Grosvenor. “But also it comes at that time of year when we’re coming out of the dark days of winter and going into spring. It’s that symbol of hope and renewal.”

Five of the best places to see cherry blossom in the UK

Greenwich Park, London: There is an abundance of London parks complete with blossoming trees each spring but Greenwich, with its views of the river Thames and city skylines, is one of the best.

The Stray, Harrogate: This 200-acre park has a stunning avenue of cherry blossom trees creating a perfect canopy when posing for pictures.

Bute Park, Cardiff: Cherry trees gifted from Japan were planted in this park last year to form an avenue of blossom, after vandals destroyed more than 50 trees.

Glasgow Green, Glasgow: The 19th-century McLennan Arch makes a perfect backdrop to the cherry blossom trees in the city’s oldest park.

Brockhampton, Herefordshire: The orchards at this medieval manor house and farm come alive with damson blossom each spring.