Deptford cherry blossom
Words by Gema Oliver-Daintith
Walking through the back streets of Deptford, I am reminded that spring is finally here by the sight of beautiful blossom dancing high in the trees. Confetti explosions of pastel coloured blooms gently sway, raining petals into the sky, creating a pretty calm in a whirlpool of residential blocks, traffic-clogged roads and local people busy conducting their daily lives.
The trees in question are cherry trees. They are dotted all around London and the suburbs, often in churchyards, parks and public spaces. The trees can blossom from early March through to May depending on the weather. According to Joe Woodcock, Arboricultural Manager at Greenwich Council, this year’s ‘unseasonally warm weather has brought forward the flowering of species that would otherwise flower later in the year’.
In Japan, the arrival of cherry blossom is an important event — many Japanese people will go and admire the blossoming cherry trees at parks, shrines, and temples to celebrate the beginning of spring. The Japan Meteorological Agency even used to track the sakura zensen or ‘Cherry Blossom Front’ as the blossoming trees moved northward through Japan. The cherry blossom is of great public interest in Japan owing to its symbolism in Japanese culture and ‘Hanami’ — the custom of flower viewing.
The Natural History Museum is currently asking people to record any cherry trees they have seen on local streets, parks and gardens as part of their annual Cherry Tree Survey. This research aims to help scientists understand more about cherry trees in the urban environment and how they are changing, as well as providing useful information on their distribution. The Cherry Blossom Survey includes information on how to correctly identify the species of tree.
Deptford has an array of cherry trees currently in flower including the Prunus Avium, Prunus Blireana and Prunus Serrulata. There are many located in the Charlotte Turner Gardens off of McMillan Street, the grounds of St Nicholas Church and the grass verges on Hamilton Street just behind Deptford High Street. Some are already scattering their blossom, but as it is only the beginning of spring, many more trees are yet to bloom…
View more information on the Natural History Museum’s Cherry Tree Survey.
All pictures by Gema Oliver-Daintith
