U.S. Capitol Cherry Blossoms Map

Spring in Washington, D.C., officially arrives with the blooming of the cherry trees and the National Cherry Blossom Festival. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the District each year to admire these trees that surround the Tidal Basin. Many will use their trip to tour museums and local landmarks like the U.S. Capitol while in town.

The Architect of the Capitol's Capitol Grounds and Arboretum crew cares for both big and small groups of cherry trees of several different varieties:

• Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' (cherry, Kanzan Japanese flowering)
• Prunus serrulata (cherry, Japanese flowering)
• Prunus subhirtella (Higan)
• Prunus x 'NCPH1' (cherry, Pink Cascade weeping)
• Prunus x incam 'Okame' (cherry, Taiwan)
• Prunus x subhirtella 'Pendula' (cherry, weeping Higan)
• Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono' (cherry, Akebono Yoshino)
• Prunus x yedoensis 'Shidare Yoshino' (cherry, weeping Yoshino)
• Prunus x yedoensis (cherry, Yoshino)

One of the largest groupings is in Lower Senate Park, where there are more than 100 cherry trees lining the fountain and pathways. Use the map above to spot these blossoms across the campus.

Video Transcript

Hi, everybody! My name is Fran de la Mota. I am the Deputy Director at the United States Capitol Grounds and Arboretum. And today, we are in Exhibition Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center and we're standing right next to the 1913 model of the Capitol Grounds and the Capitol Building. And why 1913? Because in 1912, 3020 trees, arrived into D.C. from Yokohama, Japan. And these were planted around the Tidal Basin on Potomac Park in D.C. This model shows us the state of the grounds around the Capitol at the time of the gift.

In 1922, based on the documentation that we have, nine of those trees were transplanted to areas around Capitol Hill. In that first group of about 3,000 trees, there were about 12 different varieties of flowering cherries. So today on the Capitol Grounds, there are several areas where we can come and see the flowering cherries in bloom.

If you're interested in seeing those that are the historical ones that are from the original gift, on the east side of the Library Grounds, and then also on Capitol Grounds or on the Capitol Building, the southwest hill of the Terrace on the House side. There's a group of cherries there that are probably original and then also on the Senate side of the Terrace, there's a group that is much more recent. It's a newer planting and also newer plantings are the ones on the Senate Parks.

Something interesting about Japanese cherries and the way traditionally they've been cared for in Japan, through traditional means of supporting the structure of the tree, we can extend the life of the tree for many, many years.

In the quest for taking care of our trees, we've partnered with a Japanese expert, Kurato Fujimoto, to bring this traditional Japanese method of structurally supporting the aging Japanese cherries on Capitol Grounds. These traditional supported structures, they consist basically on wooden logs, either A-frame or just a pole. The branches are supported with and tied to the poles with rope and fabric like similar to a burlap, so that it's not friction and directly on the wood. And that way prevent that breakage of the branches for many, many years. And now we have on Capitol Grounds several trees that are receiving this type of support. And we hope to be able to enjoy them for many years to come now. 

Arboriculture has become a very scientific field. There's a lot of research being done on how to best take care of trees in urban environments. But at the same time, it is important to integrate tradition and traditional ways of caring for trees into the practice, and especially something that is such a big cultural event. So, having someone from Japan working alongside our arboriculturists in preparing these supported structures that are a traditional Japanese method, I think is, an amazing example of cultural exchange between both countries.

We encourage you to come visit the U.S. Capitol Grounds and Arboretum. Any time of the year, you can come here to Exhibition Hall and see the evolution of the landscape. These models are a great way to understand how the landscape has been evolving based on the needs of Congress, based on how the city grew over the years. And then you can take a walk outside and really enjoy all the trees, all the hard work that the team is doing to keep it beautiful for everybody and preserve the landscape for many years to come.