Cherry blossoms are blooming. Where you can find them in Delaware, other blooms to see

Krys'tal Griffin, Delaware News Journal
Updated ·3 min read

Spring has sprung and cherry blossoms are in bloom.

While Washington, D.C., gets all the notoriety for the annual appearance of its cherry blossoms, Delawareans don’t need to travel that far to enjoy them, too.

The First State has a few spots with cherry trees where visitors can enjoy new blooms and take plenty of photos.

Cherry blossoms in Delaware

A Brandywine Park cherry tree has dropped lots of blossoms, but plenty remain on the tree in Wilmington, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
A Brandywine Park cherry tree has dropped lots of blossoms, but plenty remain on the tree in Wilmington, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

Maybe you’ve seen them decorating the entrances to shopping plazas or at a local park. Or perhaps your neighbor has a blooming tree in their front yard.

While cherry trees can be found in Delaware, they’re few and far between.

“Overall, the majority of flowering cherry trees are planted by homeowners,” said Stacey Hofmann, chief of community relations for the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

Decades ago, you could find cherry trees at the Delaware Agricultural Museum on Route 13 in Dover, but those were eventually cut down, according to Michael Globetti, media relations manager for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Cherry blossom are blooming along the Brandywine River in March of 2020.
Cherry blossom are blooming along the Brandywine River in March of 2020.

Globetti even had a crop of cherry trees in his backyard around the same time that is long gone. Now, he gets by seeing wild cherry trees in bloom on his work travels in Kent and Sussex counties, he said.

Although cherry tree sightings in Delaware may not be as plentiful as they once were, beautiful blooms can still be found from other species.

For similar viewing and photo experiences, Hofmann recommends checking out the pink flowers of the eastern redbud, a tree native to Delaware that will continue blooming through April, and the shadbush or serviceberry, which is in rose family like the cherry tree and blooms with white flowers.

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Where to see cherry trees, cherry blossoms in Delaware

Cherry blossoms in Brandywine Park in March of 2017
Cherry blossoms in Brandywine Park in March of 2017

Brandywine Park in Wilmington is the hot spot location for cherry tree sightings in Delaware.

The Josephine Fountain in Brandywine Park was commissioned by Gen. J. Ernest Smith after the death of his beloved with, Josephine Tatnall Smith, in 1931. Fashioned from marble and inspired by a 16th-century Florentine Fountain in Villa Petraia, the park is flanked by cherry trees donated by the Smiths in 1929, which are known for their beautiful, timeless blossoms.

Cherry trees serve as a backdrop for the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in Brandywine Park, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Some trees near the World War One memorial have yet to bloom but are on the verge. Others are well into their bloom cycle and will soon drop their blossoms.
Cherry trees serve as a backdrop for the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in Brandywine Park, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Some trees near the World War One memorial have yet to bloom but are on the verge. Others are well into their bloom cycle and will soon drop their blossoms.

This time of year, you can catch plenty of locals passing through the park or relaxing on a bench to see the cherry trees blooming.

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is another great spot for finding cherry blossoms, according to Hofmann.

Cherry trees belong to the Prunus category, a genus of trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Rosaceae that includes plums, cherries, nectarines, almonds, peaches and apricots. If you search this term using Winterthur’s plant finder tool, you’ll find many results sharing the exact type of species Winterthur has and where you can find it on the grounds.

The following Prunus can be found at Winterthur:

  • Prunus “Accolade,” flowering cherry.

  • Prunus “Hally Jolivette,” Hally Jolivette cherry.

  • Prunus 1097, flowering cherry.

  • Prunus 2996, flowering cherry.

  • Prunus 3009, flowering cherry.

  • Prunus avium, mazzard cherry, sweet cherry and bird cherry.

  • Prunus glandulosa, dwarf flowering almond and Chinese plum.

  • Prunus glandulosa, pink almond-cherry.

  • Prunus laurocerasus, cherry-laurel.

  • Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis,” cherry-lauel cv.

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Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Valley Garden Park in Greenville in 2019.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Valley Garden Park in Greenville in 2019.

At Hagley Museum and Library in Greenville, E.I. du Pont Garden features plenty of blooming sights to see, including the cherry tree.

Valley Garden Park in Greenville is known to attract visitors for cherry blossom sightings, too.

Local farms like T.S. Smith & Sons in Bridgeville and Fifer Orchards in Camden Wyoming have been known to offer u-pick cherries or sell cherries at their farm stands, so it’s worth checking out if these locations will have crop this year that you might be able to catch while in bloom.

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com. 

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Where to find cherry trees, see cherry blossoms in Delaware