Cherry blossoms are as beautiful in their autumnal decline as they are in springtime

Peter Dowdall says cherry blossoms are as beautiful in their autumnal decline as they are in springtime.

I WROTE recently about the stunning display of autumn foliage created by the mixed planting of Claret Ash, Common Ash, and Mountain Ash on the Cork to Mallow road to discover that unfortunately many of the trees were butchered during the year for necessary road works.

I’m sure these works were necessary but so are the trees and it’s important that both the engineers that sanction these works and the contractors that implement them, wake up and pay attention to the importance of our local environment.

These trees are carbon mops, absorbing much of the pollution that we humans create on the road and also provide a sound buffer, improving the quality of life for the people and wildlife who live around there.

To view them as inconveniences that simply get in the way of the JCB or the Kango hammer speaks volumes about the people who have responsibility for maintaining our green environment. Ihope they hang their heads in shame.

The Cherry Blossom or ‘Sakura’ as the Japanese call it is one of the most sensational garden trees in this part of the world.

I, like so many people, await the breath-taking blooms in spring and hope, often against hope, that the weather will be kind and winds will stay away to allow the pink and white petals a bit of time on the tree so the annual display, one of the real highlights of the gardening year, can be enjoyed for as long as possible.

Alas most years the winds are just lying in wait and unless you grow the blossom in a sheltered part of the garden, soon your ground will be covered with the nicest of pink confetti which will soon turn brown and be fit only for the compost bin.

Kanzan (Prunus serrulata) is commonly referred to as the ‘Japanese Cherry’ and is the most widely planted form of the ‘Sakura’ in Ireland.

Prunus serrulata is what is commonly referred to as the ‘Japanese Cherry’ and there are over two hundred cultivars of this species.

The most widely grown form of it in Ireland is ‘Kanzan’ the beautiful double pink, flowering variety, synonymous in this part of the world with Ballyphehane more than Japan, perhaps.

The drive down Pearse Road when these are in full blossom should be on the to-do list of every self-respecting gardener in the country. And this is a municipal planting of many year’s ago, so it shows that those is charge often get it very right.

You don’t need to be a gardener to appreciate the beauty these trees bring, it’s simply a case once more of opening your eyes and admiring that which is all about.

What is often overlooked when talking about the cherry blossom is its autumnal display, created by leaves entering the final cycle of their short life, the chlorophyll leaving and the carotenoids taking over to leave dramatic orange, red and yellow foliage, the last hurrah for the season.

It’s easy to get carried away by this genus and to fall in love with them. Aside from the sheer beauty and variety that exists within the Prunus family, there is also much symbolism associated with the ‘Sakura’ and intricate links with the Buddhist religion.

One person who has fallen in love with these beauties is award-winning, local artist and RTÉ Lyric FM presenter Trish Taylor Thompson who will be launching an exhibition of her latest collection of work entitled ‘Sakura’ at Quay Arts Gallery, Ballina, on Friday, November 4, at 8pm.

Hanami, the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms or Sakura, was the inspiration for this collection and the exhibition will run for a week

Taylor-Thompson’s fine art has a strong botanical theme. Her early work is an explosion of colour and movement taking inspiration from all aspects of the natural world.

Her graduate show examined themes of mortality with the muted colours of dying flowers, specifically poppies and lotus flowers, whose symbolism represents impermanence and reincarnation.

Her solo exhibition ‘45 for Valour’ focussed on the common poppy, a symbol of remembrance for those who lost their lives during the First World War.

Taylor Thompson’s latest show ‘Sakura’ sees a return to the vivid colours of some of her early work, but here she uses delicate pinks set against a riotous backdrop which gives her work a more contemporary edge.

It manages to convey the joy and abundance of nature against the delicacy and transience of the blooms, which, almost as soon as they appear, seem to scatter in the wind.

• ‘Sakura’ will run from 4th of November 4 until November 12 at Quay Arts Gallery, Ballina, County Tipperary. For more information and to see more of her work, visit www.trishtaylorthompson.com