Since it is such a dreary day here in Savannah, I thought I'd post something cheerful. This is the Yoshino Cherry tree that is in my front yard. Yoshinos have a special place in my heart. I am a native of Macon, GA. If you don't know much about Macon, they have a big Cherry Blossom Festival every spring with over 300,000 Yoshinos is full bloom.
It all started in 1949 when William A. Fickling, Sr., a realtor in Macon found a the flowering tree in his own backyard. In 1952 while on a trip to Washington, D.C., Mr. Fickling saw the same trees blooming around the city. These were the trees that Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo had gifted 3,000 of to the city of Washington, D.C. in 1912. These trees are very rare to the South. When Mr. Fickling returned home to Macon, he began growing even more Yoshinos and shared them with the community. They are now all over the city. You can still see Mr. Fickling's trees today. The long, winding driveway down to his old house is covered on both sides by big, beautiful Yoshinos.
Yoshinos are my all time favorite tree. Unfortunately, they grow painfully slowly. I planted this tree about 4 years ago and it is still only slightly taller than myself and only had about 50 blooms this year. When I was a kid in Macon, my dad planted 2 Yoshinos in each of the front yards of the houses we resided in; one for my sister and one for me. We still drive by and check on them every now and then when we go visit family in Macon. Do I recommend the Yoshino? Heck yes, but only it you have a lot of patience!
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