Cherry blossom a gift from Japan

ONE hundred cherry trees have been planted at Kingston Lacy, after being gifted by Japan to celebrate Japanese-British friendship.

The trees, which form part of the National Trust's annual celebration of spring blossom, have been planted in Kingston Lacy's Japanese Garden.

Kingston Lacy, the National Trust property near Wimborne, was the first of the trust's properties to take part in the Sakura project, a Japanese initiative that is gifting around 6,500 cherry trees to parks, gardens and schools across the country.

 Three varieties of cherry (Beni-yutaka, Taihaku, and Somei-yoshino), were chosen for this project.

Taihaku (known as the Great White cherry) is particularly relevant as the variety became extinct in Japan but was reintroduced to its homeland by Britain’s Collingwood 'Cherry' Ingram in 1932.