Meet the Falls Church woman who is a cherry blossom super fan

By Linh Bui
March 20, 2024 | 7:15 AM

Jenny Blakemore has lived in the D.C. area since she was 10 years old, but really fell in love with the cherry blossoms while working in Georgetown in her 20s.

鈥淚 would make a tradition to go every year to the Tidal Basin. And I would go to the Cathedral. I would go to all the parks in the city that I could to see the different cherry blossoms,” she told WTOP.

She got engaged under the cherry blossoms by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, then got married the following year during peak bloom in Georgetown.

鈥淲e had all pink up lighting and cherry blossom name tags and cherry blossoms flowers, a cherry blossom cake, cherry blossom invitations. Everything, you name it,鈥� she said. 鈥淣obody was surprised that I would have a pink wedding.鈥�

Blakemore and her husband grew up together in Oakton, Virginia. They lived in other places in the D.C. area before settling into a house in Falls Church that she is steadily making more pink and cherry-blossom themed.

“My husband’s about to paint my kitchen table pink. You know, there’s a lot of pink,” she laughed. “My husband is in real estate 鈥� I don’t know if he wants me to paint everything pink.”

Blakemore never misses a peak bloom. She’s urging everyone in the D.C. area to get out and see the cherry blossoms this week.

“It may be a little chilly, but it’s gonna be magical outside,” she said. “It’s gonna be a beautiful week to come see the cherry blossoms.”

And if you ever do miss peak bloom, Blakemore says that isn’t the only opportunity to see D.C.’s famed blossoms.

“If you miss the peak bloom, you can still come two weeks later and see magical cherry blossoms,” she added.

This year, she and her husband will take their three daughters to the Cherry Blossom Festival opening ceremony and the kite festival. They鈥檙e also walking with the Girl Scouts in the cherry blossom parade.

鈥淚’m passing it on to my children. And hopefully they’ll pass it on to their children,” she said.

Her love for cherry blossoms will also live on through the cherry trees she plants each year. She’s already planted two cherry trees at her Falls Church home and has planted more trees throughout the region.

“I planted a tree at my daughter’s school last year with the Girl Scouts,” Blakemore said. “And I planted a tree in Georgetown during the 100 year anniversary with the Cherry Blossom Festival. And that was a lot of fun.”

Blakemore plans to continue to celebrate the natural beauty of the cherry blossom trees each year and how they are now intertwined with her “love story” on her wedding anniversary.

鈥淚t’s such a beautiful thing and they spark joy,” she said. 鈥淭hat’s why I love the cherry blossoms, because they bring beauty to the city.鈥�

WTOP’s Emily Venezky contributed to this story.

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Fired opinion writer still waiting for call from Washington Post after arbitrator ordered reinstatement, back pay

By Neal Augenstein
August 25, 2026 | 1:59 PM

Several days after an arbitrator ordered the Washington Post to reinstate fired opinion writer Karen Attiah, she told WTOP she's still hasn't gotten a phone call about returning to work. "I'm waiting to hear from the Washington Post as of this morning," Attiah said. "I'm willing to go back to the work that I was doing as a columnist and as a writer particularly focused on race, gender and international rights." A Thursday ruling by arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa said the newspaper did not have sufficient cause to fire Attiah over social media posts about violent white men following last year's killing of Charlie Kirk, and ordered the Post to award Attiah full back pay and lost benefits. "So, the Washington Post has its marching orders, let's see if they follow them," said Attiah, who described her reaction to arbitrator's ruling as "vindicated, slightly tired, really happy about the decision and reinstatement, plus back pay, of course."