Photos: See D.C.'s cherry blossoms in peak bloom, bid farewell to 'Stumpy' (2024)

FAQs

Where is stumpy cherry blossom? ›

Located along the Tidal Basin reservoir, the tree appears to be dying -- yet its branches still bloom annually. However, this year will be Stumpy's last bloom ahead of its removal as part of the National Park Service's decision to cut down 150 trees that have lined the waterfront view for more than a century.

In the right conditions, they can last up to nearly 2 weeks after peak bloom.

I MAY get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. The cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on March 17, 2024. That's the second-earliest on record. On average, DC's cherry blossoms bloom around the last week of March into the first week of April.

When is peak bloom? The peak bloom date is defined as the day when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) blossoms are open. Peak bloom varies annually depending on weather conditions. The most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April.

While the National Park Service estimates Stumpy to be about 25 years old—a rough estimation, given the hollowed trunk's lack of rings—he didn't quite enter the public's imagination until 2020, when a Reddit user posted a picture and compared Stumpy's decrepit condition to their love life, says Kevin Ambrose, a ...

RIP Stumpy: D.C.'s favorite short king will be cut down this year. RIP to a real one: Stumpy — the Tidal Basin cherry tree famous for being, well, stumpy — will be cut down alongside 158 others later this year to prepare for seawall repairs.

Autumn Cherry trees are stunning and unique, offering up small clusters of flowers not once but twice a year. After an early spring bloom, where deep pink buds open up to pale pink-white flowers in large clusters, these trees give an encore in fall, when many other trees are losing their leaves.

Cherry blossom season lasts for about a month every spring and is always dependent on the weather. Early March to early April is generally a good rule of thumb when hoping to see blooms. However, if warm temperatures arrive sooner, they can encourage some cherry blossom trees to bloom as early as January and February.

Heavy rain and strong winds can indeed knock petals off.

So there is a factual basis for concern.

There's more than one place in the Washington DC area with cherry blossoms, but by far the most famous, and the one you will have seen in all the iconic photos, is the Tidal Basin. It looks like a lake, has thousands of cherry trees lining its waterline, and also has several important monuments around it.

What time of day is best to see cherry blossoms in DC? ›

What time of day should you visit the cherry blossoms? First off, there is no bad time to visit the cherry blossoms. Any time you get to see them is time well spent. During the spring season, the least busy time to visit the cherry blossoms is in the early morning or evening.

The planting of cherry trees in Washington DC originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan. In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or "Sakura," is an important flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a symbol with rich meaning in Japanese culture.

Cherry blossoms have the potential to last two weeks but are at the mercy of the weather. Hot weather, freezing temperatures, strong winds and heavy rain make the flower petals fall off faster and shorten the bloom period.

A cherry blossom tree needs a month of temperatures below 41 degrees Fahrenheit to fully bloom during warmer weather. In cherry blossom hotspots like D.C., a recent analysis of National Park Service data shows that the average spring temperature in D.C. has increased 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit from 1970 to 2023.

The average lifespan of a Japanese cherry tree falls roughly between 30 and 40 years, depending on variety, yet the two trees planted by Taft and Chinda and a handful of other trees are still standing 111 years later.

It sits about halfway between the Jefferson Memorial and the George Mason Memorial on the southern bank of the Tidal Basin.

150 of D.C.'s cherry blossom trees will be cut down due to sea rise Washington, D.C.'s famous cherry blossoms hit peak bloom this week. This will be the last season for about 150 of the famous flowering trees — they'll soon be cut down to adjust to sea-level rise.

Georgia's Macon-Bibb county has the largest concentration of cherry trees in any U.S. county—and boasts nearly one hundred times more than the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The area celebrates its blossoms with plant sales, a parade, concerts, outdoor movies, and markets.