Besides Dubs, the cherry blossoms may be the most beloved emblem of the UW. Thousands of visitors show up every year to appreciate their fleeting beauty, but few know the facts behind the flowers. Get to know them a little better with these fun background bits about everyone’s favorite trees.
Where did the trees come from?
It’s a bit of a mystery! The Quad’s signature Yoshino cherry trees have multiple origin stories. The leading theory has been that they were purchased for $1.25 each in 1939 for the Washington Park Arboretum, where they were originally planted. But Yuki Shiotani, who studied at the UW in 2016–17 on an exchange from Waseda University in Tokyo, debunked this in an extensive paper on the cherry trees, citing evidence that the Quad’s trees were planted on or before 1936 by the Works Progress Administration as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, and it was different trees that were planted in the Arboretum in ’39.
Due to the lack of records, it remains unclear whether the Quad’s trees were originally donated or purchased. What we do know is that the UW has received donated cherry trees from Japan and Japanese American organizations on other occasions, including 18 trees gifted by the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C., in 2014, now planted at Rainier Vista.
Read more on the significance of cherry blossoms, or sakura, to Japanese culture and heritage.
In 2014, then-current UW President Michael Young (left) was joined by faculty, staff and Japanese General Consul Masahiro Omura (right) to dedicate a gift of cherry trees.
“The blossoms are a reminder that life is overwhelmingly beautiful, but also tragically short. The cherry blossoms bloom for a short time each year. They serve as a visual reminder about how precious and precarious life is.”
How old are the trees?
The signature Yoshino cherry trees in the Quad are estimated to be around 90 years old and were planted in their current location in 1962.
Please treat the trees with the respect they deserve: Appreciate their beauty and the joy they bring to the community, and keep a safe distance. To help them continue living long, healthy lives, please do not touch. Thank you!
How many are there?
There are currently 29 Yoshino cherry trees in the Quad; a few trees in severe decline have been removed over the years.
The UW campus in Seattle hosts a dozen other varietals of blossoms (including the early blooming cherry plum, brighter pink hisakura and others) and 570 species of trees overall.
Who takes care of them?
Maintaining the trees is no easy task. UW Arborist Sara Shores says it takes an entire team led by Lead Gardener Chris Holmer, who has been caring for UW’s beautiful landscape since 2000, to keep the trees in tip-top shape.
Felled campus trees (including cherry) are eligible for the UW Facilities Salvage Wood Program, in which trees are milled and dried to be used in projects such as the College of Built Environments’ furniture-making classes.
Pining for more tree talk?
Wander the self-guided Brockman Memorial Tree Tour at your leisure. The 2.3-mile route will take you past our storied cherry trees and many others — including 81 different tree varieties, stunning in any season.