Those trees still stand today with a small plaque commemorating the event. Taft and the Japanese ambassador’s wife planted the first two saplings on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin. In March of 1912, approximately 3,000 trees arrived in the District. The mayor of Tokyo and others from Japan decided to donate another batch of cherry trees to the Capitol. A few days later President Taft agreed to have the trees burned. In 1910 the trees arrived in Washington DC and the Department of Agriculture discovered that they were infested with insects. The Japanese consul was told about the plan and offered to donate approximately 2,000 trees. Taft responded to the letter by agreeing to the overall plan but she suggested some minor changes to the layout of the trees around the Basin. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, a local author and member of the National Geographic Society, detailing a plan to plant cherry trees around the Tidal Basin. Often overlooked and forgotten are the first President and First Lady to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery -President William Howard Taft and his wife Helen “Nellie” Taft. That story starts with an individual buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Most people are familiar with the beauty of the cherry blossom trees but few know the history of how these trees came to surround the Tidal Basin. Peak bloom occurs when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry trees are open. The Cherry Blossom Festival, located mainly around the Tidal Basin, attracts hundreds of thousands of people to D.C. The gift celebrates the friendship between the Japanese and American people. Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs every year from March to April, commemorates the gift of approximately 3,000 cherry trees from the Mayor of Tokyo to the United States in 1912.
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