Early Blossom Time Seen for Capital’s Cherry Trees

WASHINGTON — The Japanese cherry trees that grace the nation’s capital are expected to bloom early this year, perhaps before last year’s record of March 15, the National Parks Service reported Wednesday.

Spokesman Earle Kittleman said that if favorable weather conditions continue, this year’s cherry blossoms are likely to be spectacular. But he said the trees’ delicate blooms are vulnerable to cold weather, high winds and driving rain.

An early flowering, however, can create problems for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, scheduled for March 31 to April 7. Parks service chief scientist William Anderson has examined indicator trees--those that consistently bloom early each year--and predicted they will be in blossom within a week, Kittleman said. The rest of the trees would follow in a few days.

The 3,000 trees that line the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial were a gift from the government of Japan during the administration of William Howard Taft. His wife and the wife of the mayor of Tokyo planted the first cherry tree in 1912.