Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival Tree Replanting

Tony Viglietti and Friends of Riverside Drive volunteers restored Riverside Drive in East Nashville to its beautiful, original condition by planting Japanese cherry blossom trees. An iconic symbol of the fragility of life, hundreds of Yoshino cherry trees have been planted in the median of this historic boulevard, a memorial to fallen service members of the 1st and 2nd World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. “It is a glorious and powerful living memorial,” Tony told us. Unfortunately, many of the cherry blossom trees planted by Tony and his volunteers have been damaged beyond repair by road accidents and tornadoes. 

We are raising money to replace the Japanese cherry blossom trees that have been damaged or have died on Riverside Drive and in other Nashville neighborhoods and parks. The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival Tree Planting Project began planting cherry blossom trees in 2009. The first Consul-General of Japan in Nashville, Hiroshi Sato, proposed the ambitious mission to plant 100 Japanese cherry blossom trees each year for ten years. Consul-General Sato’s vision was for the trees to serve as a symbol of friendship between the people of Japan and Tennessee. In Japan, when cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, they are celebrated by enjoying time with friends and family and making new connections. For the Japanese, they represent a time of renewal and new beginnings - springtime.

The 1,000 trees planted by the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival Tree Planting Project have become a symbol of spring in Nashville parks and neighborhoods, too. There is nothing as beautiful in the spring as a cherry blossom tree. The delicate, pink blossoms awaken our senses and soothe our souls. In the summer, especially in the small inner-city pocket-parks where there were no trees, the cherry blossom trees have provided shade on hot, sunny days.

Make a donation and help us replace dead and damaged Japanese cherry blossom trees in Nashville. The new trees will be planted by Metro Nashville Parks in December to ensure this treasured connection with Japan thrives and that springtime in Nashville will stay pink with beautiful cherry blossom trees. 

We will keep you updated on the replanting. By next spring, you will be able to visit Nashville parks and neighborhoods and see for yourself what your donation has done for our community.