Plant Your Own Tree

It’s a question the National Cherry Blossom Festival gets asked all the time: how can I get a cherry blossom tree of my own? The beautiful trees certainly do make the perfect addition to any home – and now, for the first time, the Festival has partnered with Arbor Day Foundation in a nationwide, year-round tree planting program that will bring the trees directly to you. When you purchase a tree from their nursery, a portion of the proceeds benefits the Festival, helping to keep the vast majority of its events free and open to all.

Cherry trees provide many  benefits. Yoshinos, the majority species of the blossoms found at the Tidal Basin, provide wildlife value. Their small fruits are inedible for people, but popular with domestic and migratory songbirds and small mammals, and their flowers provide pollen for bees.  Trees reduce carbon footprints. This year, an eight inch Kwanzan cherry tree will reduce atmospheric carbon by 201 pounds, while also intercepting 221 gallons of stormwater runoff.

There’s something else you can do to help sustain the population of trees.  The Festival and Arbor Day Foundation have created a special Give a Tree greeting card with artwork from the 2010 Festival to let the recipient know a tree has been planted in a national forest in their honor. For just $5.95, give a gift that will grow and give back, helping the environment, beautifying landscapes, and preserving our forests.