Naoko participated in a cherry planting ceremony at the Earl of Cranbrook’s estate in Great Glemham, Suffolk
The cherry planting ceremony was held at the White House Farm, the residence of Jason Gathorne-Hardy, eldest son of the 5th Earl of Cranbrook, on 6 March 2020.
The 1st Earl of Cranbrook built The Grange, the former home of Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram, in Benenden, Kent, in the late 19th century. Ingram was fascinated by the two mature cherry trees in the garden, which ignited his passion for cherry blossoms. He later named the trees ‘Hokusai’ after the famous Japanese wood print artist.
Jason Gathorne-Hardy, who had already planted 50 cherry trees in his garden, found out about the family links to ‘Cherry’ Ingram through the ‘Cherry’ Ingram book. He then decided to plant more trees to celebrate his discovery and to mark the 100th anniversary of Ingram’s encounter with the Hokusai trees at The Grange.
