Festivals might be canceled but the trees are still doing their thing. And you can see some of them from a safe distance.
The season of pink has arrived.Although the coronavirusoutbreak has made it difficult toenjoy the cherry trees, it’s still possible to admire the blossoms from a safe distance, either by scrolling through online cherry trackers, strolling through a park that is still open, finding the perfect view through a closed gate, or even driving through New Jersey.At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a Sakura Matsuri, or cherry blossom festival, has been an annual tradition since 1982.But this year the garden’s 214 cherry trees will bloom without an audience. The festival, which can draw some 70,000 people over one weekend, has been canceled. The garden, closed.“It’s sad to say, but it’s absolutely gorgeous there,” said Ronnit Bendavid-Val, the director of horticulture at the garden. “Everything holds its breath for a minute between winter and spring,” she continued, “and then there’s this explosion of spring.” The cherry blossom season is fleeting, with most blossoms erupting and returning to dormancy within the span of a month. Most of the cherry trees at the 52-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden, including all 76 lining the garden’s Cherry Esplanade, are Kanzan trees. “So when they bloom, they bloom all at the same time,” Ms. Bendavid-Val said.
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