Aberglasney Gardens has thanked the Sakura Cherry Tree Project for their donation of Japanese Cherry trees.
The trees are a part of the 6,500 Japanese cherry trees – or Sakura in Japanese – given to the UK by Japan, and planted across the country in parks, gardens and schools to celebrate Japan’s relationship with the UK.
All of the varieties of cherry trees to be planted as part of the project are of Japanese origin.
Aberglasney gratefully received three beautiful varieties: Prunus yedoensis, Prunus ‘Beni Yutaka’, and Prunus ‘Tai Haku’ which were chosen for their variation in colour, timing, and historical significance. Prunus yedonesis, commonly known as Yoshino Cherry, is named after Mount Yoshino - a famous cherry covered mountain in Nara Prefecture.
Prunus ‘Beni Yukata’ was developed in Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of Japan, and is a pink flowering Cherry Tree that’s flowers turn a darker colour in the centre during its flowering period. ‘Tai Haku’ is a large, single white blossom variety which became extinct in Japan, but was reintroduced to its homeland by Britain’s Collingwood 'Cherry' Ingram in 1932.
Aberglasney’s gardening team has recently finished planting the donated trees in their new home on the woodland banks above the ticket office.
They have been integrated with an existing Cherry tree collection and were planted in naturalistic drifts with close spacing to create a full canopy.
They have also been mixed with British native species to maintain wildlife and woodland connectivity.
The aim is to create a naturalistic blend of flowering Cherries with the hope that in years to come, they will create a wonderful blossom show and become one of the highlights of Aberglasney’s busy floral calendar.
Aberglasney Head Gardener, Joseph Atkin, said: “On behalf of everyone at Aberglasney, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Sakura Cherry Tree Project for their kind donation and providing us the opportunity to be part of this wonderful initiative.
"We are proud to be a participating garden and honoured to bring a touch of Japanese culture to Wales and our West Walian garden”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here