Cherry Blossoms: Everything You Need To Know
If you ever want to feel spectacularly charming and pretty (even in your mankiest jogging bottoms) go and stand under a blooming cherry blossom tree. The delicate pink petals fluttering down on you will feel like confetti on a wedding day, as if there’s a Cinderella carriage waiting just around the corner <just> for you.
It feels like pure romance.But what is it about cherry blossoms that’s so special? Apart from how beautiful it is, is there a meaning behind the bloom? And, how can you use it in an arrangement? It’s one of our favourite blooms to source, here’s why…
What does cherry blossom symbolise?
All flowers have a meaning, and cherry blossoms are no different. They are, of course, a symbol of Spring but they’re also frequently associated with love and affection, specifically the love we hold for our friends and family.
In Japanese culture (the flower is Japan’s unofficial national flower) pink flowers like cherry blossom are linked with masculinity, particularly during the samurai period, and they’ve also been linked to good health. Gifting a single stem of cherry blossom is a symbol of education, and is often given to a child on their first day of school.
What happens at a Japanese cherry blossom festival?
Every Spring, in Japan, there are ritual viewings of cherry blossoms. These festivals, now famous across the world, date all the way back to the 700s. The cherry blossom blooms (‘sakura’ in Japanese) symbolise renewal, and because they are so short-lived they also speak of the fleeting nature of life.
The festivals are often referred to as ‘hanami’ which is, essentially, the ancient tradition of going to enjoy the blooming of the cherry blossom trees in parks and throughout the countryside in Japan. As while hanami literally means ‘viewing flowers’ the word has long been used to describe enjoying the cherry blossoms, dating back to when aristocrats would write poems about the flower.
Today, the cherry blossom festival sees thousands of people flocking to parks, and having a picnic under the trees.
How does cherry blossom grow?
Abundantly, on trees. As anyone lucky enough to live on a street in West London knows, they can transform a street into an enchanting pink wonderland. We use cherry blossom in our flower subscription arrangements, with it arriving to our customers in stick form with buds. Give it a few days in your vase and soon the buds will burst into life.
What is cherry blossom matched with in an arrangement?
We always want you to feel a sense of sheer excitement when your delivery arrives, and while we know the cherry blossom will eventually deliver pure pink joy it doesn’t straight away. In fact, it arrives looking bare and twig like. A blank canvas for what is to come. So, we’ll always match cherry blossoms with dominating flowers, such as lilies that will open up with the blossom or tulips, snapdragons, astro and lilies.
Where does Freddie’s Flowers cherry blossom come from?
It may spark beautiful visions of Japan, and its ‘hakura’ but we get our cherry blossom from some lovely growers in Holland, so it has less far to travel. They grow it to order so that there is minimum waste.
We only use cherry blossom once a year making it so special, we love matching it with snapdragons, alstroemeria and pink lilies, for a bright and happy arrangement signalling warmer times to come.
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