[box icon="none" border="full"]This is an archived post from 2012. I have another page for the 2013 Cherry Blossom Watch.[/box]
The cherry blossoms around Washington DC’s Tidal Basin have come and gone for 2012 and are now heading into their green phase that they’ll carry into the fall. There are some other trees around the National Mall and Hains Point still blooming, including some other varieties of cherry blossoms, but the main cluster of Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are done for the season. If you head on over to East Potomac Park you might still catch a cluster of Kwanzan cherry trees blooming right around the western bank of Hains Point at the intersection of Buckeye Drive and Ohio Drive SW (near the National Park Service headquarters)–they bloom a week or two after the Yoshinos.
A warm winter and early fall this year brought the flowers out very early. They officially reached peak bloom on March 20 this year, according to the National Park Service. While early, it was not the earliest on record.
Below are some photos of how the trees look at various stages through this season. You can also see my main gallery of photos of the Cherry Blossoms, find much more information on Washington DC’s Cherry Blossoms in 2012, and check out information for photographers.
So that’s pretty much it for this year. Be sure to check back next year for Cherry Blossom Watch 2013!
6 Days After Peak Bloom
March 26, 2012
For all intents and purposes, the bloom is over. There’s a tiny number of stragglers still with some blossoms, but most trees have lost their petals (helped along by this past weekend’s rain and today’s wind). The green leaves are starting to come through on some trees, but they still have a way to go.
3 Days After Peak Bloom
March 23, 2012
The color has mostly shifted from white to pink, although there are still some holdouts. The trees are beautiful, but look closely and you’ll see the telltale signs that they’re on their way out. Green is starting to poke through a little more in some places. More petals are falling.
They should look fantastic at least through the weekend, but unfortunately the weather forecast isn’t great. So if you have the option, today would be a good time to head down.
1 Day After Peak Bloom
March 21, 2012
The flowers are starting to shift from puffy white to getting a pale pink tint. On a very small number of trees, some green leaves are starting to come through. And some of the petals are starting to fall–in a gust of wind it looks a bit like it’s snowing.
2 Days Before Peak Bloom
March 18, 2012
Yep, they’re a-blooming. They’ll be in peak bloom through the beginning of this week. By next weekend, there should still be a lot of flowers on the trees, but some will probably be starting on the way out.
6 Days Before Peak Bloom
March 14, 2012
A small number of buds are starting to pop into bloom. Seen from a distance, the trees have turned a deep reddish pinkish color as the outside of the buds get larger. The blossoms will start to come out en masse over the next 2 to 3 days. And the tour buses are already lining Hains Point.
These aren’t cherry blossoms–they’re Tulip Magnolias–but they show some of the other trees that are in bloom around Washington DC at the moment. The Tulip Magnolias are already on the tail end of their bloom and have begun dropping their petals
More of the Tulip Magnolias.
And more Tulip Magnolias.
9 Days Before Peak Bloom
March 11, 2012
16 Days Before Peak Bloom
March 4, 2012
23 Days Before Peak Bloom
February 26, 2012
When would be the best time to witness the cherry blossoms “in full bloom?” Please advice.. Thank you.
It’s too early to tell when they’ll be in full bloom, but some information for making your best guess is on this page. I’ll be updating it as we head towards the spring.
Thank you for such a great site…..will you do this again next year? I hope so, as we missed the peak and cancelled our trip there from the west coast. We will try again next year and hope to see your site as an excellent guide. Thank you!
We’re a group of tourist(canada) visiting DC this weekend…so that means all the Cherry Blossoms are pretty much done in the tidal basin area…where else can I take cherry blossom trees in bloom in the DC area?(your suggestion is very much appreciated) also, where is the best place to take night photography? Thanks very much!
Yes, the Tidal Basin ones are done. But this past weekend there were still quite a few different varieties a short walk away along Hains Point. The cluster I mentioned above was particularly impressive–it’s about a 10 minute walk from the Tidal Basin. As for night photography, DC has a lot of great options. Most of the monuments along the Mall are lit up at night and the water of the Potomac and Tidal Basin is great for reflections (unfortunately the Reflecting Pool is out of action at the moment). Enjoy your trip!
I love your pictures!! Keep us posted for next year’s Cherry Blossoms! I was thinking to go this weekend, I miss this completely!! At least I get to see your photos!! Cheers!
Hey David. Pictures look great and info is great. Love your work. I saw that you said the 23rd should still be a good day. I cant make until Saturday the 24th. Do you think that should pose a problem for some great views? Thanks in advance!
My best guess is that there should be plenty of flowers still out through the weekend. I hope to post some more shots tomorrow or Saturday.
Hi David,
Thanks for the posting the photos. They look awesome!! I am visiting DC on March 23rd. Do you think the cherry blossoms will still be at peak or start to fall largely? Thanks!
My pleasure. You should have absolutely no problem catching the blossoms still in full bloom on the 23rd.
Hey David,
I am reaching DC on 31st March, Will it be too late to watch the cherry bolssom action? I want to enjoy the full bloom. What will you suggest? Should I make changes in my travel plan? or will it be fine?
Thanks
I’m by no means a horticultural expert, but based on what I’ve seen in previous years and what the experts say about the continuing warm weather making for a shorter boom period, I suspect you’ll have missed much of the bloom by then. There might still be some flowers on some trees, bust most will likely be turning green as the new leaves replace the flowers. There might well be other trees, including other varieties of cherry trees, blooming nearby on the Mall.
Thanks David for the nice pictures. We plan our visit from 26th to 29th, so I hope to see enough blooms for a picture like yours.
Hi there,
Thanks for the great info! I have planned a trip on either March 29 or 30. I’m guessing that with the warm weather there won’t be many blossoms left on the trees around the basin. Will there be other cherry varieties blooming at that time? Also, do you know of any locations to park near the Tidal Basin?
There’s a reasonable chance of some flowers still being on the trees, although they will be on their way out. And yes, you should come across plenty of other blooming trees and flowers, including tulips starting to come out. As for parking, there are a few small parking lots in West Potomac Park and there’s parking all the way around Hains Point. But it also gets very busy, so it’s not unusual to have to park quite a distance along Hains Point. There’s often a shuttle service, if memory serves, but I don’t know off-hand how regularly it runs.
Confirmed this morning that there is indeed a shuttle service running regularly around Hains Point, so no problem if you have to go a fair way along to find a park.
Thanks – I appreciate the information!
Great info and pictures – thanks! I was wondering if I visited this weekend (17th-18th) if the trees would have a great deal of blooms on them. I really want to see them at full bloom but the following weekend might not work. Would this weekend be a good time to go? Thanks.
As you can see from the photos from today, some of the blooms are already starting to come out, and based on what the horticultural and weather experts are saying the weekend should indeed be a good time to go (with warm weather to boot). It might still be a few days before what they technically call “peak bloom,” but you should see plenty of flowers starting to come out. I’ll try to post some more shots Friday or Saturday.
Thanks for the info….very helpful. We have booked a trip (some time ago) for April 5-10th, using the April 4th avg peak bloom date as our guide. Looks like we will miss all of the action…so disappointed. Not easy to change things as we are flying from the west coast and have booked everything….but not impossible. We wonder if it would be worth changing everything and paying the change fees yet still, we are shooting at a moving target….any advice for us Southern Californians?
Hi Lori: Yes, unfortunately the warm winter and therefore earlier bloom will likely mean that you’ll miss the main action with the cherry blossoms. But the Cherry Blossom Festival will still be going on–there’s a fireworks festival on April 7. And the good news is that you’ll likely catch the tulips and other flowers coming out. Many of these shots, for example, were taken in mid-April last year: http://hcwt.co/7d
Thanks, David….the tulips look gorgeous. We’ll hope for some cooler weather over the next 20 days! Great website, will recommend to others….thank you.
Hi, I’m planning on visiting DC on Apr 6 – 9. Will the cherry tress still be in bloom?
The peak bloom period will almost certainly have passed. It’s possible that there might still be some blossoms on the way out, but the trees around the Tidal Basin should be well on their way to shedding their flowers and becoming covered in fresh green leaves. There are, of course, other flowering trees around the National Mall, even other varieties of cherry blossoms, that might still be in bloom a little later.
Thanks for posting these pictures! They are very helpful as I am planning a family trip to DC to catch the blossoms this year. Beautiful shots even without the flowers yet.
Thanks David,
I’m trying to plan a trip to DC for the first time, and I really really want to catch the cherry blossoms. But of course my travel date is being pushed till after Easter! and I so hope I can still catch some blossoms. So Thank you for your photos and knowlege, it defitinly gives me more realistic expectations.
Please keep us updated!
Glad it’s helpful. I’ve just posted some new shots of how the trees look this morning.