Anyone who has ever tried to travel to Washington D.C. to see the cherry blossoms is well aware that they are fickle creatures, if you can call a flower a creature that is. Despite the amazing beauty of a cherry in full bloom, it is a brief moment indeed. Last year we had a full 5 days of blossoms before the branches were bare and the ground was strewn with petals. So far we’re on day three of this years bloom. I will miss the delicate perfume on the air, but it certainly gives something to look forward to every year. This is our second spring here with the Ether Garden and I have an awe and appreciation for this tree which I can’t quite express. There are ornamental weeping cherry trees all around town, but I have yet to see another of the same size and sheer blossom load that ours has.

Today the tree was a-buzz with honey bees, which made us smile. The whole tree was just covered in them busily flying from flower to flower, there was a decent hive’s worth of bees there today. Such a lovely thing to see, especially with everything going on these days with hive collapse.

I did notice, while going through photos, that either the tree is early this year, or the flowers are late, or something. I also noticed how very quickly this tree grows! This photo is from last year, taken on April 17th. There is definitely not nearly that much going in the garden around the tree right now! Then again- it’s only the first week of April right now, so maybe the tree is early? I’ll try to grab a good photo of the tree tomorrow which really shows how much this tree has grown. The longest branches are touching the ground, and even the short ones are a mere foot shy. Who knew they were such vigorous growers? I’ve started reading up on how to properly prune the tree, to keep it as healthy and pretty as I can.