The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy (HPPC) celebrated Earth Day this year by planting 4 new yoshino cherry trees in Hunter's Point South Park. These trees were purchased by HPPC via the New York Tree Trust, to replace others that have died since their initial planting back in 2013. The theme of Earth Day 2021 was “Restore Our Earth,” and HPPC took that theme to heart this year, restoring the earth in our front yard by planting these beautiful and vibrant trees.
Yoshino cherry trees currently ring the oval in Hunter’s Point South Park and make for some of the most iconic images of the park when they bloom in the spring, usually early April. The tree is known for its vibrant display of white-pink blossoms and faint almond fragrance in the springtime. Throughout the summer they also delight park-goers with their unique branching pattern, glossy bark, and dark-green leaves. The trees also provide an important source of food for many small birds and mammals.
Across New York City there are three different varietals of cherry trees that are commonly seen and provide spectacular blooms in the spring, but they all bloom at different times. The first up are okame cherry trees, which bloomed this year at the end of March. Next are the yoshino cherry trees, which bloomed in early April this year and are what you will find in Hunter’s Point South Park. And last are kwazan cherry trees which are currently in bloom. The yoshino cherry tree, along with its cousin the kwanzan cherry, is responsible for the spectacular pink blossoming show each spring in Washington, D.C.
The trees planted in the park have already lived interesting lives, having started out as seedlings in Oregon, before being shipped to the North Fork of Long Island (where the NYC Parks nursery is) at 1-2 years old. They then grew up there until they were big enough to find a permanent home in Hunter's Point South Park after HPPC’s purchase this year. The trees are already between 7-10 years old and will take a few more years to fully fill out. The are still partially in bloom now because it's slightly colder on the North Fork where they came from and therefore their bloom was slightly later.
