Bethesda's Cherry Blossom Neighborhood Gears Up For Big Weekend

Most of Kenwood's roughly 1,200 Yoshino cherry trees probably won't hit peak bloom this weekend. But pleasant weather should bring plenty of people out anyway. The neighborhood, known as "the other" place to check out cherry blossoms in Washington, attracts visitors from all over the world. The Yoshino cherry trees were planted by the developer of the neighborhood back in the 1930s and 1940s as a marketing tool to attract families to what was then the outer reaches of suburbia. Eight years ago, the neighborhood's citizens association decided get organized to keep people off private property and to discourage people from climbing on the trees. The group hires off-duty Montgomery County Police officers for traffic control and security. No parking is allowed on the neighborhood's streets, so you'll have to walk or bicycle to the neighborhood to get a peek. The Kenwood trees see less sun than their famous counterparts on the Tidal Basin, so they typically reach peak bloom three to four days later. While some Tidal Basin trees are already in peak bloom, many are expected to reach it this weekend. That means peak bloom in Kenwood will likely happen next week.