There can be few finer sights for the gardener than a cherry tree in full flower. Myriad blooms nestled cheek by jowl, mainly of the most delicate soft pink-white, transforming the orchard for an all-too-fleeting fortnight at the start of spring. In Japan, cherry blossom festivals or hanami have been celebrated for more than a thousand years. Originally a custom for the elite of the Imperial Court (and originally a celebration of plum blossom), hanami are now hugely popular festivals, with thousands picnicking beneath the cherry trees planted throughout Japan's parks and gardens. Indeed, the Japan Meteorology Agency produces a ‘blossom forecast’, predicting when the flowers will open across the country.
Even in the UK there used to be day trips organised along the River Tamar, which runs between Devon and Cornwall, to view the superb cherry blossom which lined it. These days the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm in Kent is the best
