Thousands of Japanese cherry trees are blooming on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. When the trees reach peak bloom, the United States’ capital city is awash in pink and white. In the 1920s, the average peak bloom date was April 5. That moved up to March 31 in recent years. And the 2023 peak arrived yet a week earlier, the National Park Service said last week. “I’m feeling like this is going to be the trend” because of climate change, said Matthew Morrison. He is the park service’s urban forester charged with overseeing the trees’ care.

数以千计的日本樱花树在华盛顿特区的国家广场上盛开。当樱花盛开时，美国首都到处都是粉红色和白色。在 1920 年代，平均盛开的高峰日期是 4 月 5 日。近年来则上升到了 3 月 31 日。国家公园管理局上周表示，2023 年的高峰期提前一周到来。 “我觉得这将成为一种趋势”，因为气候变化，马修莫里森说。他是公园管理局的城市护林员，负责监督树木的护理。

The yearly National Cherry Blossom Festival will run through April 16 this year. It celebrates Japan’s 1912 gift of 3,020 cherry trees to the city of Washington. Two of those trees were planted by First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, with just a few onlookers present. The average life of a Japanese cherry tree is between 30 and 40 years. Yet the two trees planted by Taft and Chinda and several others are still standing 111 years later. “That defies science,” said Morrison. He credited the tree’s long life to “a little bit of magic” and the year-round care his team provides.

一年一度的全国樱花节将于今年 4 月 16 日结束。它庆祝日本 1912 年向华盛顿市赠送 3,020 棵樱花树。其中两棵树是由第一夫人海伦·赫伦·塔夫脱 (Helen Herron Taft) 和日本驻美国大使的夫人钦达子爵夫人 (Viscountess Chinda) 种植的，当时只有少数旁观者在场。日本樱花树的平均寿命为 30 至 40 年。然而，塔夫脱和钦达以及其他几人种植的这两棵树在 111 年后仍然屹立不倒。 “这违背了科学，”莫里森说。他将这棵树的长寿归功于“一点点魔法”和他的团队提供的全年照料。

Many of the 3,700 trees blooming at the park today come from cuttings from the first trees, Morrison said. Others are regularly donated by the Casey Trees group of Washington. Morrison oversees a team of just three arborists. They are charged with caring for the cherry trees and keeping a “personal health record” for each. Three years ago, Morrison introduced the practice of mulching trees with large amounts of wood chips to help their growth. As the chips break down, he said, they release fungi and bacteria to help the tree’s roots. The wood chips also serve as a barrier between the grass and the trees. This prevents accidental cuts caused by lawn equipment.

莫里森说，今天在公园里盛开的 3,700 棵树中有许多来自第一批树木的插枝。其他的则由华盛顿的 Casey Trees 小组定期捐赠。莫里森负责监督一个只有三名树艺师的团队。他们负责照料樱桃树并为每棵樱桃树保存“个人健康记录”。三年前，莫里森引入了用大量木屑覆盖树木以帮助树木生长的做法。他说，随着碎片的分解，它们会释放出真菌和细菌来帮助树根生长。木屑还可以作为草地和树木之间的屏障。这可以防止草坪设备造成的意外割伤。

Morrison suggests the same practice for homeowners growing trees in their own yards. When wood chips are applied over the root areas, he said, “it would never need any fertilizer, amendments” or more water. “Even on the hottest days of summer when it hasn’t rained, I dig down in the wood chips and find moisture,” he said. Morrison said most of the National Mall’s cherry blossom trees are Yoshino. “It’s one of the best growers and the best to flower,” he said. “Kwanzan cherry also is a good grower and gets a little bigger than Yoshino.” As for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, there are still several events throughout Washington and its suburbs. They include a Japanese street festival, running events, fireworks, and food festivals. If you cannot make it, there is a Bloom Cam to look at the cherry blossoms.

莫里森建议房主在自家院子里种树也应采取同样的做法。他说，当木屑被施在根部区域时，“它永远不需要任何肥料、改良剂”或更多的水。 “即使在没有下雨的夏天最热的日子里，我也会在木屑中挖掘水分，”他说。莫里森说，国家广场的大部分樱花树都是吉野。 “它是最好的种植者之一，也是最好开花的植物之一，”他说。 “关山樱桃也是一个很好的种植者，比吉野大一点。”至于国家樱花节，华盛顿及其郊区仍有几项活动。其中包括日本街头节日、跑步活动、烟花和美食节。如果你赶不上，还有一个 Bloom Cam 可以看樱花。