Every spring at the Dallas Arboretum’s Dallas Blooms floral festival, there’s a miraculous moment when the 125 Japanese cherry trees begin to bloom along with 5,000 azaleas.
A wave of delicate pink and white cherry blossoms on the cherry trees is now blooming, indicating springtime in Texas. The flowering Japanese cherry trees- Yoshino cherry—will fully bloom soon. A little-known fact, many of the cherry trees were given as gifts to the Arboretum!
In its 39th year, Dallas Blooms is the largest annual floral festival in the Southwest. According to Dave Forehand, Dallas Arboretum’s vice president of gardens, “The time to come to the Dallas Arboretum to see the cherry trees, tulips, and azaleas are in the next week. As we say, we usher in spring in the garden.”
Dallas Blooms feature 500,000 spring-blooming flowers from more than 120 varieties. Of that total, 350,000 are tulips; the others are hyacinths and daffodils. Travel+Leisure published that this “Texas Flower Festival May be the Most Beautiful Springtime Destination in the U.S.,” and visitors of all ages agree!
In Japan, cherry blossom time, called Hanami, is ushered in with parties held both night and day under the Sakura (cherry blossom trees) to celebrate this yearly occurrence and the delicate beauty of life. Hanami dates to the Heian Period (794-1185) when the Imperial Court in Kyoto held flower-viewing parties beneath the blossoming cherry trees. Poets praised the flowers as a metaphor for life, “beautiful yet fleeting.”
Today, branches on many cherry trees at the Arboretum overflow with thousands of lacy blooms. Each tree only blooms once a year. Throughout the world, cherry blossom time runs from late March to early May, depending on the climate and local weather conditions.
While you are enjoying the Cherry Blossoms, take time to visit the special exhibit throughout the garden; Dallas Blooms: The Great Contributors, that feature nine of Gary Lee Price’s bronze sculptures, including Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa, Ruby Bridges, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Mark Twain. The sculptures are sitting on bronze benches inviting you to sit beside them. Price remarked, “They are not only beautiful, but they have a purpose. So, I suggest sitting down next to these incredible people we honor. Have a conversation and be with them.”
Where: Dallas Arboretum | 8525 Garland Road, Dallas
Website: Learn More | Tickets
Special Day Discounts: Discounts include BOGO (Buy One, Get One Free) on Wednesdays and CC Young Senior Living Thursdays (65 years and older receive discounted admission and 20% off in the Gift Store)
