Fifty Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees Planted at The Eden Project
Dozens of Japanese cherry blossom trees have been planted at the eden project in Cornwall as part of a long-running cultural initiative, the charity announced.
The Eden Project Plants 50 Sakura Trees in Japanese Garden
The planting involved 50 Sakura trees located in the Japanese Garden behind the Core building. The trees were installed under the Sakura Cherry Tree Project, which was launched in 2017 to celebrate the friendship between Japan and the UK.
Three Varieties Chosen, Each With Distinct Seasonal Colour
The samplings include three varieties of cherry trees selected for their distinct seasonal colours and rarity. The first expected to blossom is Prunus x yedoensis (Yoshino cherry), which produces lightly fragrant, pale pink flowers that fade to pure white blossoms in late March. The other two varieties are Prunus ‘Tai-haku’ (great white cherry) and Prunus ‘Beni-yutaka’. The Prunus ‘Beni-yutaka’ typically blooms a soft pink in mid-to-late April.
The great white cherry is noted as a rarer type; it was rescued from extinction by a single tree found in Sussex and reintroduced to Japan in 1932. The plantings include trees that are typically only found in speciality collections.
Project Purpose and Establishment Timeline
The Sakura Cherry Tree Project is intended to mark longstanding cultural links and to highlight the significance of plants. The trees are expected to take between three and five years to establish. Julie Kendall, the charity’s outdoor horticulture manager, said the plantings would “serve as a living reminder of the enduring friendship between Japan and the UK for generations to come” and would also “tell the story of our dependence on plants and their rich cultural and historical symbolism”.
The new line-up of cherry trees reinforces the Japanese Garden’s role in showcasing botanical and cultural connections. Visitors can expect the sequence of blossoms to begin with the Yoshino cherry in late March, followed by later-blooming varieties into April as the collection matures over the coming seasons.
