• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Serve
      • Government
      • Commercial Environmental Services
      • Residential
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Core Values
    • Testimonials
  • Plant Health Care
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Careers
    • We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer
    • We Welcome Veterans and Military Service Members
    • RTEC Benefits
    • RTEC Is Now Hiring
  • Blog
  • 703-573-3029
  • Contact Us

Cherry Blossom Festival: Spring…With A Cherry On Top

Resources: Community

Cherry Blossom Festival 1

Although the famous cherry blossom trees were planted in 1912, their story begins 30 years before with a woman named Eliza Scidmore. After her visit to Japan, she proposed that cherry trees be planted along the Potomac waterfront, but her request was met with very little interest. It wasn’t until Dr. David Fairchild got involved in 1906 that anyone took notice.

Dr. Fairchild purchased 75 trees to test their hardiness in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Pleased with their success he began to promote the tree as an ideal for planting along avenues and even gave children cherry trees to plant in their school yards for Arbor Day 1908. By 1909, Mrs. Schidmore was attempting to raise the money herself to purchase and donate the cherry trees to the city. But on April 7th, 1909 her initiative caught the attention of First Lady Helen Taft.

April 7, 1909

Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees, but I thought perhaps it would be best to make an avenue of them, extending down to the turn in the road, as the other part is still too rough to do any planting. Of course, they could not reflect in the water, but the effect would be very lovely of the long avenue. Let me know what you think about this.

Sincerely yours,

Helen H. Taft

Unfortunately, the first shipment of Japanese cherry trees, in 1910, was infested with insects and was diseased. It wasn’t until another shipment in 1912 saw the trees planted.  25 years later, in 1927, the first official cherry blossoms festival was held.Cherry Blossom Festival

 

Most Of The Original Cherry Blossoms Have Died:

Cherry trees are susceptible to numerous diseases such as white peach scale, leaf spot, and powdery mildew. Stress, from the floods of visitors every year, makes them even more susceptible to these diseases and fungus. This is why it isn’t surprising that only 100 of the 3,000 original cherry blossoms are still living.

The average cherry blossom tree has a lifespan of 50 years. The original trees still standing are 105 years old and have defied the odds. These impressive originals are located near the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial.

The rest of the 3,700 ornamental cherry trees along the National mall and Tidal Basin come from local nurseries and cloning initiatives. That’s right approximately 500 of the cherry blossom trees you’ll see during the cherry blossom festival are actually clones of the original gifted trees.

This Year’s Festival & Peak Dates:

The early warm weather we have been experiencing has moved the Cherry Blossom Festival and the peak dates up to March 14th-17th. This peak viewing date is the earliest in history. During these dates, you can expect to see about 70% of the Cherry trees on the tidal basin in full bloom.

If you can’t make the peak dates this year, you have three options.

  1. Arrive four to six days before peak bloom to see the puffy white blossoms stage
  2. Go after the peak bloom. You’ll be able to still enjoy the cherry blossoms up to one or two weeks after peak bloom. After that, the fresh green leaves will take over the trees.
  3. Check out the Cherry Blossoms Cam if you can’t make it in person

If you’re lucky enough to have a cherry tree in your yard, protect it from spring diseases with our canopy protection program.

Primary Sidebar

Find a Certified Arborist in Your Area!

Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

Resources Library

  • Tree Trimming
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Tree Problems
  • Environmental Services
  • Seasonal Tree Care

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADDRESS:
2828 Mary Street
Falls Church, VA 22042

EMAIL: admin@rtectreecare.com
PHONE: 703.573.3029

Copyright © 2022 · RTEC Tree Care · All Rights Reserved

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • Privacy Policy
  • COOKIE POLICY