Welcome to the 2025 Cherry Blossom Watch!

The 2025 cherry blossom bloom will be here before you know it!

The cherry blossoms still look beautiful a week after peak bloom in 2024. Photo by David Coleman.

Welcome to the 2025 Cherry Blossom Watch!

Yes, it feels like we’re barely done with the 2024 bloom. And hasn’t it been a beautiful one? They rushed to an exceptionally early bloom, but then cool temperatures arrived and kept the flowers out for an extended stay.

But you’re here because you want to get a head start, right? Me too! Whether you’re a cherry blossom veteran or planning a visit for the first time, welcome! You’re in exactly the right place! :)

We’re already looking ahead to next year and are itching to roll out some fun new features that I think you’re going to like. I’m looking forward to sharing insider tips, more detailed information and photos, and some exclusive content that I’m only going to share through this newsletter. By signing up, you’ll be on the inside track and among the first to know!

The Japanese Lantern at the Tidal Basin during the 2024 bloom. Photo by David Coleman.

What to Expect

Things are going to be pretty quiet for a while. I don’t want to bombard your inbox with unnecessary filler. So I won’t really start ramping things up until we get closer to the time and there’s actually something worth reporting. In practice, that probably won’t be until winter 2024-25.

Seawall Reconstruction Project Occasional Updates

An exception might be some occasional updates on the progress of the Tidal Basin seawall restoration project.

After all, that’s going to impact the 2025 cherry blossom season at least some, since the project isn’t expected to wrap up until 2026. About 150 trees will be removed from a couple of specific stretches of the Tidal Basin (and later replaced with new trees), and part of the seawall will be rebuilt. These stretches of the Tidal Basin have been struggling for years with constant flooding and erosion, and the trees there haven’t been able to thrive.

Some of thos updates I might post on Substack’s Notes feature, especially if it’s just a quick update or a handful of new photos. So if you’re not already using it, I’d encourage you to use the Substack app (I’m quite new to it but have been loving it!). With the app, you’ll get a push notification when I post a new Note.

The 2024 bloom winding down. Photo by David Coleman.

This year (2024) was Stumpy’s last bloom. Sadly, he lies in the area where the seawall needs to be rebuilt in raised. But staff from the National Arboretum are taking cuttings and will use them to clone Stumpy for the next generation of cherry trees to be replanted around the Tidal Basin once the construction project wraps up. Photo by David Coleman.

So here’s to a toast to one of the stars of the 2024 bloom (Stumpy) and looking ahead to 2025!