Rare Japanese cherry tree takes root in Newhaven

A species of cherry tree on display in a Newhaven visitor attraction has a very special link to the Far East and a unique story to tell.
By Trevor ButlerContributor
Published 1st Jun 2023, 09:51 BST
Updated 1st Jun 2023, 09:52 BST
Paradise Park’s head gardener, Simon Croucher, who’s worked at the Newhaven gardens for 20 years, tends the Oriental cherry tree. Paradise Park’s head gardener, Simon Croucher, who’s worked at the Newhaven gardens for 20 years, tends the Oriental cherry tree.
Paradise Park’s head gardener, Simon Croucher, who’s worked at the Newhaven gardens for 20 years, tends the Oriental cherry tree.

The Taihaku cherry has been planted as part of the Oriental gardens at Paradise Park and has a rich story forever linking Japan with the south coast of England.

This ancient variety of flowering cherry tree is visible all over Japan. However, as Paradise Park’s site director Darren Clift explainsm this was not always the case.

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“In the early 1900's it was thought by the Japanese to be extinct. A well-known enthusiast for the variety, Lord Collingwood "Cherry" Ingram, who was invited to address the Japanese Cherry Society in 1926, was shown an image of the lost species, only to instantly recognise it.”

As Darren continues, he knew of a garden in Winchelsea that was growing this very variety and set to work reintroducing it to Japan. “He used potatoes to transport his cutting halfway around the world, taking them on ships to the Far East. It was a slow process, but Lord Ingram successfully reintroduced the Taihaku cherry to Japan.”

The very first tree introduced is still growing in a nursery in Kyoto, and all the Taihaku cherries in Japan are descended from this tree.

Related topics:JapanNewhaven