The Gift of Trees

Flowering cherry trees, which bloom profusely but do not bear edible fruit, were not common in the United States in 1900. American visitors to Japan found their beauty remarkable, and journalist Eliza Scidmore was inspired to have these trees planted in Washington, D.C. She and Department of Agriculture botanist and plant explorer David Fairchild were interested in beautifying the city’s landscape. In 1909, First Lady Helen Herron Taft endorsed the project after seeing photographs of the flowering trees from Japan. The first gift of trees from the city of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C. arrived the next year, but insects and nematodes were found on the 2,000 trees that arrived on January 6, 1910, and the entire shipment had to be destroyed. A difficult diplomatic situation was avoided through the combined efforts of the U.S. State Department and Japanese authorities. On March 26, 1912, a new shipment of more than 3,000 healthy trees arrived, and the first two trees were planted the next day. Scidmore promoted the planting of Japanese flowering cherry trees in Washington, D.C. for more than 20 years, while Yukio Ozaki, mayor of Tokyo at the time of the gift, and chemist Dr. Jokichi Takamine played pivotal roles in the city of Tokyo’s gift of trees to the city of Washington, D.C.

Arlington, Virginia · United States