Pictures: Cherry Blossoms in Washington

Cherry blossoms are seen at the Tidal Basin March 25, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)

Reuters File Photo

July 17, 2012 6:06 PM PT

Japan gave the United States cherry trees as a gift in 1912 to signify friendship between both countries.

President and Mrs. Nixon enjoy the cherry blossoms near the tidal basin April 14, 1969 in Washington D.C. (National Archives/Handout)

Under a canopy of cherry blossoms in Washington DC former U.S. President Bill Clinton went for a morning jog in April of 1994 with George Hirsch, publisher of Runner’s World magazine, and members of a running club from Arkansas. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

President George W. Bush made a statement to the press April 2, 2000 in front of Cherry Blossoms at the White House regarding the detention of a U.S. military plane and its crew by China following a midair collision. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Japanese tourist Yayoi Nagayama poses for a photo ON March 25, 2011 under cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. Nagayama, 25, came to New York for a vacation on March 3, but feared for friends and family back home in Fukushima, the site of a damaged nuclear power plant now spewing radiation. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)

Cherry blossoms are seen on a tree at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, with the memorial to US President Thomas Jefferson in the background. (Karen Bleier/Getty Images)