Ten Blossoms of Hope Sites to Visit

For those that would rather stay close to home in Savage-Guilford and 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.

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 site 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.

4) Kwanzan cherry trees planted at Manor Woods Elementary School in 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 in Elkridge, there will be a commemorative planting 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 will host a cherry blossom bloom, hosted by the Howard County Recreation & Parks.

7) Daniels Grove at Gary Memorial Church in Ellicott City will be a host site for some cherry blossoms. There will also be a community planting. State Senator Jim Robey (D-District 13) contributed a private donation to this site.

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

9) Schooley Mills Grove 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 Meadowbrook Park Grove as well. Like The Howard County Farm Heritage Museum and Schooley Mills Grove, there are still some tree sponsorships available.