Big in Japan: Springtime brings the lovely sight of cherry trees bursting into blossom

Each spring, cherries take you by surprise. One minute, a black silhouette, the next an explosion of frothy pink and white. The more grudging the winter (and boy, has this one been grudging), the more you appreciate the abundance, the generosity of the blossom. Although most of the ornamental ones we see were originally brought in from Japan, I actually see suburbia as their natural habitat. As half-timbered semis began to stretch out into the hinterlands of the big cities, flowering cherries were the trees of choice for their new owners. A front garden with a cherry tree, a lawn, a crazy-paved path leading to the front door with its sunburst overthrow, a row of HT roses. There you have it. The Thirties incarnate.







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