JAPANESE FLOWERING CHERRIES 
By Georce M. Rerep 
Japan is rightly called “Cherry Land.” Besides the many wild 
cherries growing in the mountain forests, the Japanese, from 
ancient times, have cultivated the cherries and produced hundreds 
of varieties, some with single and others with double flowers. 
Many places in Japan are famous for their beauty in “Cherry 
Vime.” During the last one hundred years varieties have been 
sent to other lands. Our National Capital is noted for its col- 
lection, presented in 1912 by the Mayor of Tokyo; and the glory 
of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is “Cherry Walk” in late April 
or early May, when the pink double-flowered Kwanzan is in bloom. 
In the spring of 1941, 76 trees of the variety Kwanzan, arranged 
in two double rows on the Esplanade, were set out and in the com- 
ing years will add to the attractiveness of the Garden. 
The flowering cherries may be expected to do well wherever 
the peach can be grown successfully. They are adapted to various 
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situations in ornamental plantings. Although they do not require 
excessive moisture, as do the willows, they make a fine display 
when planted in a setting along the banks of a stream or pond. 
Individual specimens on a lawn must have ample space for devel- 
opment. For such locations Kwanzan, with its large double pink 
flowers, Shirotae, with its pink buds and white flowers, and the 
Weeping Cherry, Shidare-higan, are very suitable. The fastigiate, 
or columnar, Ama-no-gawa, with semi-double light pink flowers, 
is effective in a formal planting. 
In addition to the variety Kwanzan on Cherry Walk and the 
esplanade, additional varieties of Flowering Cherries are planted 
nearby. 
