Cherish cherries while you can

How English gardener helped extinct stunner rise again in Japan

- DIARMUID GAVIN

The cherry trees are starting to flower, the beginning of one of the most beautiful annual displays. Ordinary streets are transformed into exquisite vistas as these trees become clouds of pink and white flowers. It's a short season that grabs our attention and a time to be savoured.

In Japan, where the cherry tree is revered, their blossoming is celebrated and families, friends and colleagues picnic beneath the flowering canopies. This tradition is known as 'hanami' or flowering viewing and was originally a practice for the elite, but it is now a nation-wide event. The flower's fleeting nature symbolises the transience of our existence.