2023 Spring and Cherry Blossom Watch, Portland Japanese Garden (The Arrival of Spring is Often Heralded by the Awakening of Our Cherry Blossoms)NEW

Cherry Blossoms
“Where is all the color?” ask many first-time visitors to a Japanese garden. Color and number of plant specimens are not necessarily what a Japanese garden is about, but the differences in color and contrast are part of what make them intriguing.

The subtlety of different shades and textures of green are thought to promote the tranquility and harmony sought by a Japanese garden designer, while flowers are treasured by the Japanese and the seasonal blooming of trees and shrubs is highly celebrated.  

Sakura: a Fleeting Beauty
The cherry blossom is the national flower of Japan and many resonate with sakura, or cherry blossoms. The Yoshino Cherry is a hybrid cherry and is one of the most popular and widely planted cultivated flowering cherries worldwide. Because Japan is known as the “Land of Cherry Blossoms,” the flowers represent the Japanese people and notably the samurai.

Cherry Blossom Watch: 2023


At Portland Japanese Garden, Yoshino Cherry Trees line the top of the hillside across from Heavenly Falls; called Cherry Hill. These buds typically bloom in late March or early April.

Portland Japanese Garden’s Weeping Cherry represents spring in the Flat Garden and is an elegant, deciduous tree growing up to 30 feet tall. It’s famous for its pendulant branches covered with bright pink and white flowers in the spring. Our Weeping Cherry tree is thought to be about 75 years old and is found in the southeast corner of the Flat Garden.

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See All Cherry Blossom Festivals/Events
Cherry Blossom Events in United States

Where to See Cherry Blossoms Bloom
Cherry Blossom Locations iin United States

Map of Japanese Festivals 
See Map of Japanese Cherry Blossoms