Despite the snow I still managed to get a couple small things done outside this weekend. The most notable and exciting was the planting of the 'Yoshino ' Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). It is the first plant I've been able to put in the ground on our property this year. I've been planning this one since we bought the house. What's great is that I didn't have to spend a dime for the tree, it was a gift! This past Christmas I received a gift card and finally used part of it. It may not look that large from the picture but it stands between 8-10 feet tall.
The Yoshino Cherry trees along with several other varieties came as a gift from the Mayor of Tokyo, Japan in 1912. Originally 3,000 of these trees were given to decorate Washington D.C. and the U.S. reciprocated by giving flowering dogwoods to Japan as a symbol of friendship. Japan gave another 3,800 trees to the U.S. in 1965. What I found interesting about the history of the cherries was that in 1981 a flood destroyed many of the original Yoshino Cherry trees in Japan. Horticulturalists from Japan then came to the United States to take cuttings from the gifted trees to bring back to Japan. You can read all of this information and more at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Website. Sometimes plants have some interesting stories!
As for other gardening related events of the weekend I bought a Shepherd's hook for two of our bird feeders. Now maybe the Mockingbirds won't be able to guard all the food.
Earlier in the week I plants several types of seeds, mostly flower seeds. I talk about them later in the week. Maybe they will sprout soon and I can show some photos of them. This week I'll be starting my vegetable seeds so keep checking back!Labels: gardening, trees
