Beyond the Tidal Basin: Introducing Other Great Flowering Cherry Trees
Time: 8 AM – 5 PM Daily
Location: U.S. National Arboretum – 24th and R Streets, NE (Map)
Cost: FREE
This annual self-guided tour exposes visitors to a wide range of flowering cherries and the scientific work done by the National Arboretum to preserve and improve flowering cherries. Over 30 stops, marked by roadside signs and corresponding numbers on a brochure map, identify different species and cultivars of flowering cherries. Through the brochure text, visitors learn about the Arboretum’s research on flowering cherries, facts about individual flowering cherry species and cultivars, and horticultural information about growing flowering cherries. There are different cherries in bloom throughout the Festival period, thus educating visitors about the wide range of bloom times for these popular landscape trees. The tour also features mature trees that are clones of the 1912 cherries planted by Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda. The brochure text explains how Roland Jefferson, an Arboretum botanist, was the first to recognize the need to preserve these two historical trees and how he did so by taking and growing cuttings from them. Should the original trees die, cuttings can be made from the clonal trees at the Arboretum to grow genetically identical replacements.
The tour route is accessible by car or by walking. To complete the tour on foot would take approximately one hour.
The tour brochure is available in the Arboretum’s visitor center located in the lobby of the historic Administration Building. Admission to the Arboretum is free.
Getting There
The National Arboretum is located at 24th and R Streets in Northeast Washington, DC. Its 446 acres are open to the public from 8 AM to 5 PM daily. Parking can be limited on peak spring weekends (late April through mid-May), so we recommend arriving early. Visit our website for helpful information on planning a visit.
METRO: Bus B2, Use Trip Planner.
Contact Information
U.S. National Arboretum
P: 202.245.2726
E: Programs.usna@ars.usda.gov
www.usna.usda.gov
