If you find that you’re too late for the main cherry blossoms, you might still be in luck with the Kwanzan cherry blossoms.
They bloom a week or two after the most famous ones. There are fewer of the Kwanzan cherry trees, but they’re especially pretty. And they’re perfect as backdrops for portraits.
The most famous, oldest, and numerous, around the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park/Hains Point are the Yoshino cherry blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis). There are over 1,400 of that variety around the Tidal Basin.
But there’s more than one type of cherry blossom; around the Tidal Basin and National Mall there are another ten varieties of cherry trees. And they don’t all bloom at exactly the same time. Some, like the Higan cherry, bloom in the autumn and often carry flowers through winter and into early spring (and often spark some confusion about early blooming because of that).
The Kwanzan cherry blossoms bloom a little later than the Yoshinos. Their average peak bloom date is around April 22, and the historical average (going back nearly a century) is that they reach peak bloom 15 days after the Yoshinos reach peak bloom.
Just like the main bloom of the Yoshinos, though, it does vary year to year, and sometimes it has been as little as 4 days later, while other times up to a month. So if you miss the end of the Yoshino cherry blossoms’ bloom, the Kwanzans can offer a very pretty consolation.
You might also see these referred to as Kanzan, without the “w.”
They have a much darker pink, multilayered flower that looks a bit like a small rose. The trees themselves are quite low to the ground, so they’re especially good for getting a close look at the flowers (or for posing next to in photos). And there are also far fewer people crowding around them.
Kwanzans are actually quite common in the region, and you’ll notice them all over the place once you start looking. They can even in the most unlikely of places–there are actually quite a lot lining the I-66 highway, for instance–and they’re popular in residential neighborhoods. You might also hear of them under different names, including Sekiyama cherry trees and, more properly, Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzan’. All refer to the same type of tree.
If you’re down near the Tidal Basin, there are over 400 Kwanzan cherry trees split between a large grove and some smaller groves on Hains Point/East Potomac Park. I have a map with the locations marked, below.
They’re on the side that’s opposite the airport, next to the golf course. If you do the one-way circuit around the tip of Hains Point on Ohio Drive you’ll see a long grove of them on your right and then another small grove at the intersection with Buckeye Drive near the US Park Police Headquarters.
If you’re heading down to take photos of the ones next to East Potomac Park, they get the afternoon sun but are in the shade in the early morning. There are parking spots right next to them, and there are rarely many people about. It’s also a very nice area for a quiet walk or bike ride.
If you’re after morning sunlight, there are a half dozen or so next to the playing field in West Potomac Park along the bend of West Basin Drive.
There are also about 44 Kwanzan cherry trees around the Tidal Basin interspersed with the others.
Photos of the Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms
How to Find the Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms Near the Tidal Basin
And here’s where you can find some of them (the markers):
DC Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms Peak Bloom
Here are the historical peak bloom dates for the Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms. The data published by the NPS on this is incomplete, but this is what’s available.
Based on this data, the Kwanzans reach peak bloom on average 15 days after the Yoshinos, but as you can see there is wide variation–sometimes it has been as little as 4 days later and sometimes as much as a month. Just as with the Yoshinos, temperatures are the big factor in determining the bloom’s timing.
Yoshino | Kwanzan | Days Later | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1921 | March 20 | April 17 | 28 | |
1922 | April 7 | April 20 | 13 | |
1923 | April 9 | April 22 | 13 | |
1924 | April 13 | April 26 | 13 | |
1925 | March 27 | April 15 | 19 | |
1926 | April 11 | April 24 | 13 | |
1927 | March 20 | April 20 | 31 | |
1928 | April 8 | April 26 | 18 | |
1929 | March 31 | April 14 | 14 | |
1930 | April 1 | April 22 | 21 | |
1931 | April 11 | April 20 | 9 | |
1932 | April 15 | April 29 | 14 | |
1933 | April 9 | April 23 | 14 | |
1934 | April 15 | May 1 | 16 | |
1935 | April 1 | April 26 | 25 | |
1936 | April 7 | April 21 | 14 | |
1937 | April 14 | April 26 | 12 | |
1938 | March 25 | April 15 | 21 | |
1939 | March 30 | April 14 | 15 | |
1940 | April 13 | April 26 | 13 | |
1941 | April 12 | April 25 | 13 | |
1942 | April 5 | April 16 | 11 | |
1943 | April 4 | April 17 | 13 | |
1944 | April 9 | April 26 | 17 | |
1945 | March 20 | March 28 | 8 | |
1946 | March 23 | April 2 | 10 | |
1947 | April 12 | April 27 | 15 | |
1948 | March 28 | April 10 | 13 | |
1949 | March 29 | April 16 | 18 | |
1950 | April 9 | April 29 | 20 | |
1951 | April 6 | April 25 | 19 | |
1952 | April 9 | April 21 | 12 | |
1953 | March 27 | April 14 | 18 | |
1954 | April 6 | April 19 | 13 | |
1955 | April 2 | April 19 | 17 | |
1956 | April 6 | April 28 | 22 | |
1957 | April 8 | April 23 | 15 | |
1958 | April 18 | April 26 | 8 | |
1959 | April 6 | April 20 | 14 | |
1960 | April 14 | April 25 | 11 | |
1961 | April 2 | April 29 | 27 | |
1962 | April 7 | April 29 | 22 | |
1963 | April 3 | April 18 | 15 | |
1964 | April 11 | April 26 | 15 | |
1965 | April 15 | May 2 | 17 | |
1966 | April 5 | April 17 | 12 | |
1967 | April 6 | April 19 | 13 | |
1968 | March 30 | |||
1969 | April 9 | |||
1970 | April 16 | |||
1971 | April 8 | |||
1972 | April 11 | |||
1973 | April 11 | |||
1974 | April 3 | |||
1975 | April 3 | April 19 | 16 | |
1976 | March 23 | April 12 | 20 | |
1977 | March 26 | April 10 | 15 | |
1978 | April 12 | April 23 | 11 | |
1979 | April 2 | April 15 | 13 | |
1980 | April 6 | April 27 | 21 | |
1981 | April 3 | April 28 | 25 | |
1982 | April 7 | April 26 | 19 | |
1983 | April 7 | April 11 | 4 | |
1984 | April 3 | April 13 | 10 | |
1985 | April 7 | April 15 | 8 | |
1986 | April 2 | April 14 | 12 | |
1987 | March 28 | April 7 | 10 | |
1988 | March 31 | April 9 | 9 | |
1989 | March 29 | April 6 | 8 | |
1990 | March 15 | April 1 | 17 | |
1991 | March 29 | April 8 | 10 | |
1992 | April 7 | April 17 | 10 | |
1993 | April 11 | April 30 | 19 | |
1994 | April 5 | April 18 | 13 | |
1995 | April 2 | April 15 | 13 | |
1996 | April 4 | April 22 | 18 | |
1997 | March 26 | April 8 | 13 | |
1998 | March 27 | April 5 | 9 | |
1999 | April 5 | April 20 | 15 | |
2000 | March 17 | April 10 | 24 | |
2001 | April 6 | April 17 | 11 | |
2002 | April 2 | April 17 | 15 | |
2003 | April 2 | April 18 | 16 | |
2004 | March 31 | April 18 | 18 | |
2005 | April 9 | April 20 | 11 | |
2006 | March 30 | April 17 | 18 | |
2007 | April 1 | April 20 | 19 | |
2008 | March 29 | April 18 | 20 | |
2009 | April 1 | April 19 | 18 | |
2010 | March 31 | April 7 | 7 | |
2011 | March 29 | April 16 | 18 | |
2012 | March 20 | |||
2013 | April 9 | |||
2014 | April 10 | |||
2015 | April 10 | |||
2016 | March 25 | |||
2017 | March 25 | |||
2018 |
More to Explore
If you enjoyed this post, you might also find these of interest:
- Beautiful Blossom Artwork
- Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: April 12, 2021
- Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: April 12, 2019
- Cherry Blossom Watch Update: April 10, 2019
- Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: April 22, 2018
- Cherry Blossom Watch Update / Kwanzan Edition: April 9, 2017