London’s top locations for cherry blossom trees to see during Hanami

This study was conducted by Kelly Loves, Korean snack brand. If you’d like to use the graphics or data from the study, please get in touch. 

According to government data from the Greater London Authority’s data report ‘Local Authority Maintained Trees’, Redbridge has the highest density of cherry blossom trees across the whole of London. The borough, which is home to 11,564, holds a third of London’s total cherry tree count with 530 trees per square mile. 

Lewisham was the second borough with the highest density of cherry blossoms with a total of 255 cherry blossom trees per square mile, followed by Southwark (237), Barnet (166) and Greenwich (144).

Kingston had the lowest density of cherry blossom trees in London with only one in the area, followed by Westminster (3), Merton, (4) and Hammersmith and Fulham (5).

The data was gathered ahead of Hanami, a traditional Japanese custom which celebrates the beauty and viewing of these seasonal trees. 

‘Hanami’ means ‘flower watching’ and it’s the annual celebration of cherry blossom (sakura) in the spring.

During the Hanami cherry blossom season, people sit beneath the blossom trees to eat hanami snacks, drink and socialise whilst taking in the natural beauty around them. 

Notes on the data:

• The tree data, available through the Greater London Authority (GLA), was originally collected in 2014-15 and updated in 2021-22: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/local-authority-maintained-trees