Ten Places to Find Cherry Blossoms in Howard County

For those that would rather stay close to home in Howard County, there will be plenty of local locations to view cherry blossoms.

Each year, and usually about two weeks after the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., Howard County hosts Blossoms of Hope, which features 1,600 cherry trees throughout.

Howard County can expect peak blooms two to three weeks after the cherry blossoms in D.C. bloom, which began late last week.

Here are 10 locations in Howard County where cherry blossoms are either blooming or being planted.

1) Cherry blossoms will bloom at Lake Elkhorn, a public planting location hosted by The Columbia Association. Lake Elkhorn, which is 37 acres, was built by the Columbia Association in 1974. It’s located in Owen Brown Village.

2) Turf Valley will be a home to 50 Blossoms of Hope trees. Each year, the Pink Greens Golf Classic is hosted at Turf Valley, which will certainly be a place to stop by when checking out the various cherry blossoms in Howard County. This year’s golf tournament is on April 19.

3) The Howard County Farm Heritage Museum will be a site to see cherry blossoms bloom. According to the Howard County Tourism & Promotion website, tree sponsorships are still available at this location. The museum is located at 12985 Maryland 144 in West Friendship.

4) Kwanzan cherry trees planted at Manor Woods Elementary School, 11575 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, will be blooming this month for visitors to look at. The trees were planted by the community.

5) At The Timbers at Troy golf course, 6100 Marshalee Dr. in Elkridge, there will be a commemorative planting on April 26 celebrating Washington, D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival’s original Gift of Trees from Tokyo. This is conjunction with the D.C. festival.

6) The Howard County Welcome Center, 8267 Main St.. in Ellicott City, will be a site visitors can see cherry blossoms at, which is in conjunction with the Howard County Recreation & Parks department.

7) Daniels Grove at Gary Memorial Church, 2029 Daniels Rd in Ellicott City, will be a host site for some cherry blossoms, which were planted by the community. State Senator Jim Robey (D-District 13) contributed a private donation to this site.

8) The Patapsco Valley State Park, 8020 Baltimore National Pike, will also be a planting site for Washington, D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival. Cherokee Brave dogwoods will be planted on April 26 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original Gift of Trees from Tokyo.

9) Schooley Mills Grove, 12975 Hall Shop Road in Highland, will have some cherry blossoms on site, with Howard County Recreation & Parks hosting. There are still 18 tree sponsorships available.

10) There will be Blossoms of Hope trees for viewing at the Founders' Grove at Centennial Park as well. The park's located at 10000 Rt 108 in Ellicott City.