The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

(Iris Cohen) wrote in message ...
The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)


I did not intend to imply that Japanese cherries are invasive. The
point I was making is that foreign trees, shrubs and herbaceous
perennials dominate American landscaping, which has lead to the
introduction of many invasive ornamentals. Besides Washington, D.C.,
what other national capitals are so famous for their foreign trees? It
does seem rather odd that the American capital so prominently features
foreign trees rather than American species. It doesn't provide a good
example when one tries to encourage American citizens to plant native
species.

Actually, the gift of cherry trees was prompted by an American
citizen, who was raising money to buy the trees and give them to
Washington, D.C. as the following webpage describes:

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-b...gress/cherry_3

When the Japanese consul in New York heard of the plan to buy Japanese
cherry trees, he saw an opportunity and arranged to give them as a
gift instead. According to the book, City of Trees, by Melanie
Choukas-Bradley and Polly Alexander, the original 1909 gift was 2,000
trees, which were insect and disease infected and had to be destroyed.
A second gift in 1912 was 3,000 trees of 12 cultivars. The National
Park Service says there are now 3,700 cherry trees. Most of the
remaining trees are of just two cultivars, the single, white to light
pink 'Yoshino' and the double, pink 'Kwanzan'. However, many of the
Tidal Basin trees are a deeper pink selection of 'Yoshino' called
'Akenbano', which was not part of the original gift. 'Akenbano' was
selected in San Jose, CA.

Although Washington D.C. cherry blossom festival is internationally
famous, Tokyo doesn't seem to be famous for the American dogwoods it
received as a gift from the U.S. in 1915.

(Iris Cohen) wrote in message ...
The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

This is classic example of taking something out of context. Here is
the complete paragraph:

"If federal or state governments wanted to demonstrate leadership in
the area of invasive ornamental plants, they would require that all
new trees and shrubs used to landscape government properties are U.S.
natives. American native plants don't get much respect in the USA, and
planting native plants is not widely considered patriotic. Europeans
often seem to appreciate American flora more than Americans. The
annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds."

In article , David
Hershey writes
Besides Washington, D.C.,
what other national capitals are so famous for their foreign trees?

If London is famous for any trees, it would be the Planes (hybrids
between Mediterranean and Californian species, IIRC).
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In article , David
Hershey writes
Besides Washington, D.C.,
what other national capitals are so famous for their foreign trees?

If London is famous for any trees, it would be the Planes (hybrids
between Mediterranean and Californian species, IIRC).

If you're not concerned about the company you keep, I'm told you can
go to Canberra in autumn to see the display of "autumn colours" in the
poplars and similar. Very attractive, but not very Australian.


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

The more immediate problem is that highly invasive Bush currently residing
in the White House. Are there any pesticides that you would recommend for
its immediate removal? Can we survive four more years of that wacky weed and
the damage in its wake? The dude is crazy enough to boast of a booming real
estate market. He forgets to mention its because scores of Americans are
losing their homes because they are unemployed in the current recession
because big business is sending their jobs overseas to low paid laborers.

Only a kook would disapprove of the annual cherry blossom festival in DC.
Its a rather tame event and the flowering cherries are sterile hybrids and
not a threat to national security in any way.

Regarding the total lack of imagination of North Americans and their poor
choice of favorite plants, four states and the District of Columbia have
roses as their official flower, two states have the apple blossom, and
others have the camellia, carnation, crocus, lilac, orange blossom, peach
blossom or peony. None of them are native.


"David Hershey" wrote in message
om...
(Iris Cohen) wrote in message
...
The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could
hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know
of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the
oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

This is classic example of taking something out of context. Here is
the complete paragraph:

"If federal or state governments wanted to demonstrate leadership in
the area of invasive ornamental plants, they would require that all
new trees and shrubs used to landscape government properties are U.S.
natives. American native plants don't get much respect in the USA, and
planting native plants is not widely considered patriotic. Europeans
often seem to appreciate American flora more than Americans. The
annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds."

(Phred) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In article , David
Hershey writes
Besides Washington, D.C.,
what other national capitals are so famous for their foreign trees?

If London is famous for any trees, it would be the Planes (hybrids
between Mediterranean and Californian species, IIRC).

If you're not concerned about the company you keep, I'm told you can
go to Canberra in autumn to see the display of "autumn colours" in the
poplars and similar. Very attractive, but not very Australian.


Cheers, Phred.

I'm not aware that Londoners have a planetree festival similar to the
famous Washington D.C. cherry blossom festival.

London plane is supposedly a hybrid with the eastern North American
species, Platanus occidentalis. The California sycamore is Platanus
racemosa.

"Cereus-validus" wrote in message . com...
The more immediate problem is that highly invasive Bush currently residing
in the White House. Are there any pesticides that you would recommend for
its immediate removal? Can we survive four more years of that wacky weed and
the damage in its wake? The dude is crazy enough to boast of a booming real
estate market. He forgets to mention its because scores of Americans are
losing their homes because they are unemployed in the current recession
because big business is sending their jobs overseas to low paid laborers.

Only a kook would disapprove of the annual cherry blossom festival in DC.
Its a rather tame event and the flowering cherries are sterile hybrids and
not a threat to national security in any way.

Regarding the total lack of imagination of North Americans and their poor
choice of favorite plants, four states and the District of Columbia have
roses as their official flower, two states have the apple blossom, and
others have the camellia, carnation, crocus, lilac, orange blossom, peach
blossom or peony. None of them are native.


"David Hershey" wrote in message
om...
(Iris Cohen) wrote in message
...
The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We could
hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I know
of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the
oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

This is classic example of taking something out of context. Here is
the complete paragraph:

"If federal or state governments wanted to demonstrate leadership in
the area of invasive ornamental plants, they would require that all
new trees and shrubs used to landscape government properties are U.S.
natives. American native plants don't get much respect in the USA, and
planting native plants is not widely considered patriotic. Europeans
often seem to appreciate American flora more than Americans. The
annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds."


I never stated or implied that the Washington D.C. Japanese cherry
trees were invasive or a threat to national security. Iris took my
words out of context. I was using the Japanese cherry trees as an
example of how the government urges people to plant native species,
but then doesn't follow its own advice.

The cherry blossom festival is a "tame event" as you say but its
history has been misrepresented. The story of the cherry trees as a
gift of friendship from Japan was overblown as I posted previously.
The Japanese destroyed any American-Japanese friendship less then
thirty years after the trees were planted.

The original thread noted that the National Park Service lists
butteryfly bush (Buddleja spp.) as an invasive species.

http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/budd.html

However, I know of one recently opened Washington D.C. metro station
with an extensive planting of butterfly bush. Even government agencies
are not on the same page. Many of the ornamental plants the National
Park Service and other federal agenices list as invasive are very
common landscape plants even on government properties. Their invasives
list for the eastern U.S. includes the following:

Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' (Bradford pear)
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Albizia julibrissin (mimosa)
Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive)
Paulownia tomentosa (princesstree)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Euonymus alata (winged burning bush)
Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet)
Ligustrum vulgare (European privet)
Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo)
Spiraea japonica (Japanese spiraea)
Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria)

The complete list is he
http://www.invasive.org/eastern/index.html

Yoshino cherries are not sterile according to Michael Dirr's Manual of
Woody Landscape Plants, 3rd edition, which says the seeds germinate in
two months.

David R. Hershey

Its odd that they didn't include Ailanthus altissima, Morus alba and Morus
rubra in the list. They are probably the most weedy and invasive of all.


"David Hershey" wrote in message
om...
"Cereus-validus" wrote in message
. com...
The more immediate problem is that highly invasive Bush currently
residing
in the White House. Are there any pesticides that you would recommend
for
its immediate removal? Can we survive four more years of that wacky weed
and
the damage in its wake? The dude is crazy enough to boast of a booming
real
estate market. He forgets to mention its because scores of Americans are
losing their homes because they are unemployed in the current recession
because big business is sending their jobs overseas to low paid
laborers.

Only a kook would disapprove of the annual cherry blossom festival in
DC.
Its a rather tame event and the flowering cherries are sterile hybrids
and
not a threat to national security in any way.

Regarding the total lack of imagination of North Americans and their
poor
choice of favorite plants, four states and the District of Columbia have
roses as their official flower, two states have the apple blossom, and
others have the camellia, carnation, crocus, lilac, orange blossom,
peach
blossom or peony. None of them are native.


"David Hershey" wrote in message
om...
(Iris Cohen) wrote in message
...
The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a
good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We
could
hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I
know
of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the
oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

This is classic example of taking something out of context. Here is
the complete paragraph:

"If federal or state governments wanted to demonstrate leadership in
the area of invasive ornamental plants, they would require that all
new trees and shrubs used to landscape government properties are U.S.
natives. American native plants don't get much respect in the USA, and
planting native plants is not widely considered patriotic. Europeans
often seem to appreciate American flora more than Americans. The
annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds."


I never stated or implied that the Washington D.C. Japanese cherry
trees were invasive or a threat to national security. Iris took my
words out of context. I was using the Japanese cherry trees as an
example of how the government urges people to plant native species,
but then doesn't follow its own advice.

The cherry blossom festival is a "tame event" as you say but its
history has been misrepresented. The story of the cherry trees as a
gift of friendship from Japan was overblown as I posted previously.
The Japanese destroyed any American-Japanese friendship less then
thirty years after the trees were planted.

The original thread noted that the National Park Service lists
butteryfly bush (Buddleja spp.) as an invasive species.

http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/budd.html

However, I know of one recently opened Washington D.C. metro station
with an extensive planting of butterfly bush. Even government agencies
are not on the same page. Many of the ornamental plants the National
Park Service and other federal agenices list as invasive are very
common landscape plants even on government properties. Their invasives
list for the eastern U.S. includes the following:

Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' (Bradford pear)
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Albizia julibrissin (mimosa)
Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive)
Paulownia tomentosa (princesstree)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Euonymus alata (winged burning bush)
Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet)
Ligustrum vulgare (European privet)
Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo)
Spiraea japonica (Japanese spiraea)
Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria)

The complete list is he
http://www.invasive.org/eastern/index.html

Yoshino cherries are not sterile according to Michael Dirr's Manual of
Woody Landscape Plants, 3rd edition, which says the seeds germinate in
two months.

David R. Hershey

Its odd that they didn't include Ailanthus altissima, Morus alba and Morus
rubra in the list. They are probably the most weedy and invasive of all.


"David Hershey" wrote in message
om...
"Cereus-validus" wrote in message
. com...
The more immediate problem is that highly invasive Bush currently
residing
in the White House. Are there any pesticides that you would recommend
for
its immediate removal? Can we survive four more years of that wacky weed
and
the damage in its wake? The dude is crazy enough to boast of a booming
real
estate market. He forgets to mention its because scores of Americans are
losing their homes because they are unemployed in the current recession
because big business is sending their jobs overseas to low paid
laborers.

Only a kook would disapprove of the annual cherry blossom festival in
DC.
Its a rather tame event and the flowering cherries are sterile hybrids
and
not a threat to national security in any way.

Regarding the total lack of imagination of North Americans and their
poor
choice of favorite plants, four states and the District of Columbia have
roses as their official flower, two states have the apple blossom, and
others have the camellia, carnation, crocus, lilac, orange blossom,
peach
blossom or peony. None of them are native.


"David Hershey" wrote in message
om...
(Iris Cohen) wrote in message
...
The annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a
good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds.

Not a good example. The cherry trees were a gift from Japan. We
could
hardly
have turned them down. And they are certainly not invasive, that I
know
of.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the
oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

This is classic example of taking something out of context. Here is
the complete paragraph:

"If federal or state governments wanted to demonstrate leadership in
the area of invasive ornamental plants, they would require that all
new trees and shrubs used to landscape government properties are U.S.
natives. American native plants don't get much respect in the USA, and
planting native plants is not widely considered patriotic. Europeans
often seem to appreciate American flora more than Americans. The
annual Washington D.C. Japanese cherry blossom festival is a good
example. An equally spectacular display could be had with American
native trees such as dogwoods and redbuds."


I never stated or implied that the Washington D.C. Japanese cherry
trees were invasive or a threat to national security. Iris took my
words out of context. I was using the Japanese cherry trees as an
example of how the government urges people to plant native species,
but then doesn't follow its own advice.

The cherry blossom festival is a "tame event" as you say but its
history has been misrepresented. The story of the cherry trees as a
gift of friendship from Japan was overblown as I posted previously.
The Japanese destroyed any American-Japanese friendship less then
thirty years after the trees were planted.

The original thread noted that the National Park Service lists
butteryfly bush (Buddleja spp.) as an invasive species.

http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/budd.html

However, I know of one recently opened Washington D.C. metro station
with an extensive planting of butterfly bush. Even government agencies
are not on the same page. Many of the ornamental plants the National
Park Service and other federal agenices list as invasive are very
common landscape plants even on government properties. Their invasives
list for the eastern U.S. includes the following:

Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' (Bradford pear)
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Albizia julibrissin (mimosa)
Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive)
Paulownia tomentosa (princesstree)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Euonymus alata (winged burning bush)
Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet)
Ligustrum vulgare (European privet)
Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo)
Spiraea japonica (Japanese spiraea)
Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria)

The complete list is he
http://www.invasive.org/eastern/index.html

Yoshino cherries are not sterile according to Michael Dirr's Manual of
Woody Landscape Plants, 3rd edition, which says the seeds germinate in
two months.

David R. Hershey

The story of the cherry trees as a gift of friendship from Japan was
overblown as I posted previously. The Japanese destroyed any American-Japanese
friendship less then thirty years after the trees were planted.

True, but fortunately WWII is long gone. As a gift for our Bicentennial in
1976, the Japanese gave a magnificent bonsai collection to the National
Arboretum, forming the nucleus of our National Bonsai and Penjing Museum.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

(Iris Cohen) wrote in message ...
The story of the cherry trees as a gift of friendship from Japan was
overblown as I posted previously. The Japanese destroyed any American-Japanese
friendship less then thirty years after the trees were planted.

True, but fortunately WWII is long gone. As a gift for our Bicentennial in
1976, the Japanese gave a magnificent bonsai collection to the National
Arboretum, forming the nucleus of our National Bonsai and Penjing Museum.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)



WWII might be long gone but distrust and dissatisfaction remain.
American troops still occupy Japan, which has become a sore point with
many Japanese.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2...200311161.html

I doubt either Presidential candidate would endorse removing all our
troops and military bases from Japan and allowing them to expand their
military as much as they desired.

One thing that struck me was the FDR memorial, which is in the midst
of the cherry tree plantings on the Washington D.C. Tidal Basin. FDR's
famous quote, "A day that will live in infamy." is prominent on a rock
wall. Close by are many cherry trees.