The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan’s Cherry Blossoms

Japanese journalist Abe (Dance Notations and Robot Motion) delivers a charming and informative biography of the eccentric English aristocrat Collingwood Ingram (1880–1981), who saved Japan’s cherry blossoms from extinction in the mid-20th century. After visiting Japan in 1902 and 1907, Ingram, a former ornithologist, fell in love with the country’s cherry blossom trees. When he returned to the country in 1926, he was heartbroken to learn that the diverse varieties were disappearing due to a national preference for one particular strain, leading to near-extinction of other types of cherry blossoms (“two decades of yearning for a country that... had taken his breath away had evaporated”). He became determined to document the species and take cuttings with the hope that they would flourish throughout the world. In 1945, Ingram wrote what “remains a horticultural classic and bible” on the subject, which encouraged growers worldwide to keep multiple species alive. Abe offers intriguing facts throughout, such as how cherry blossoms ended up in Washington, D.C. (botanist David Fairchild and his wife, Marian, the daughter of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, imported 150 trees; and in 1906, Tokyo’s mayor sent 2,000 trees as thanks for the U.S.’s involvement in the Russo-Japanese War). Ingram devoted himself to the cherry blossom until 1981, “when [he] sensed that his life was drawing to a close.” Impeccably researched and lovingly crafted, Abe’s enlightening history will be a boon to horticultural enthusiasts.[em] (Mar.) [/em]