A spring hanami event, a Japanese term for flower-viewing, will be celebrated from 2 to 4 p.m. April 18 along the lake and at Harmony Shelter in North Park, near the boathouse off Pearce Mill Road.
The blooming buds are all part of the Pittsburgh Sakura Project, a group of dedicated volunteers who plant and care for 200-some ornamental cherry trees in North Park.
Sakura means Japanese flowering cherry tree, according to Carol Tenny, a member of the group.
Tenny grew up in Japan and, as a child, recalls the celebration of the cherry tree blossoms as an exciting time.
“For me, it’s like bringing some of my childhood to share,” Tenny said. “I remember going to the park as a child. It’s just a sea of pink everywhere.”
The North Park hanami is an easy travel alternative to the famous annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., happening this year from March 20 to April 12.
In 1912, 3,000 cherry trees were gifted from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the United States, according to nationalcherryblossomfestival.org. The trees line the streets of D.C. and celebrate the friendship between Japan and America.
While on a smaller scale, the flower-viewing in North Park will still have the beauty of pinks and whites blossoming along the lake near the boathouse, nearby park and tennis courts.
The celebration will include snacks and drinks with some Japanese culture on display. The group also will provide tours of the trees in Japanese and English, she said.
The Pittsburgh Sakura Project is growing in several ways, branching out literally and socially. Tenny is pleased to see more members of the community noticing them every year, including an occasional wedding photographer taking advantage of the timely, flowering background.
“Gradually over the years, people are beginning to discover them,” she said.
The first cherry trees were planted in North Park in 2009. Allegheny County Parks staff assists with the plantings, and the group also uses a landscaper, Tenny said.
The Pittsburgh Sakura Project has a board to help manage the trees.
Volunteers work on pruning and caring for the trees between and during the blossoming seasons. Some of the trees were lost over the year because of black knot, a fungal disease, but others are recovering, as noted on the group’s website.
Ultimately, the timing of peak blossoming season depends on outside sources.
“Mother Nature’s got the last say,” said Tenny of Fox Chapel.
The group posts its cherry blossom forecast on its website, noting that while some trees may have been damaged by frost, “beautiful” blossoms are still expected throughout April.
Some of the ornamental cherry tree varieties posted include accolade, autumnalis, pink flair, okame, weeping cherry and Yoshino. Kwanzan trees are expected to bloom toward the end of April and are considered the “grand finale” of the blossom show, according to the online forecast as of March 30.
A sign near the lake provides details about the project and maps of different locations and types of trees in the park, Tenny said.
Anyone wanting to help care for the trees or serve as a board member can contact the group at SakuraPGHboard@gmail.com.
“If they love being outside, they can help plant the trees and maintain the trees,” Tenny said.
The group also is planning a light-up night of the trees in April.
- For details, visit https://sites.google.com/view/pghsakuraproject-english/home or follow the group on Facebook and Instagram.