Cherry blossoms for opening day

By Josh Land

Nationals

March 03, 2011, 12:27pm

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For some, the best sign of spring is the president of the United States throwing the first pitch at a Nationals game. Or Ryan Zimmerman's first home run of the season. Or simply the sound of "Play Ball" echoing through the ballpark. For others, it's not spring until the beautiful cherry blossoms bloom around the District and tourists from all over the world travel to the tidal basin en mass with their best photographic equipment. Ah, the joys of spring in the nation's capital. On Thursday, National Park Service Chief Horticulturalist Rob DeFeo announced that the peak bloom period this year will be from March 29 to April 3. And what could be better for the Washington Nationals, who have cherry blossom trees planted in the left field concourse, than opening day with blooming cherry blossoms. Additionally, fans should plan to stay after the Saturday, April 2 game to catch the festival fireworks at the Southwest Waterfront just a few blocks away from Nationals Park. The Cherry Blossom Festival officially takes place between March 26 and April 10.