A lasting symbol of friendship and remembrance in Aberfan.

At Frank P Matthews, we believe that trees do much more than simply enrich a landscape. They tell stories, mark historic milestones, and build living, breathing connections between communities and cultures.

We were recently reminded of this profound truth during a deeply moving visit by the Japanese Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Hiroshi F. Suzuki, to the community of Aberfan

A Lasting Symbol of Remembrance in Aberfan

As communities marked the solemn 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, we were deeply honoured to supply six Sakura cherry trees to mark the occasion. Planted across Ysgol Rhyd y Grug Primary School and Ysgol Gynradd Gymunedol Ynysowen Community Primary School, these trees serve as a peaceful space for reflection and hope.

The planting ceremonies were attended by His Excellency Hiroshi F. Suzuki alongside Honorary Consul for Japan in Wales, Keith Dunn OBE, and local civic dignitaries. These trees form part of a wider, beautiful initiative that has seen over 1,000 cherry trees planted all across Wales, celebrating the enduring friendship and cultural bonds between our two nations.

The Sakura Cherry Tree Project

Our involvement in fostering these international ties stretches far beyond Wales. As the nursery behind the nationwide Sakura Cherry Tree Project, Frank P Matthews has grown thousands of magnificent cherry trees distributed across the entire UK.

From the Isles of Scilly to the Orkney Islands, 10,000 glorious cherry blossom trees have been planted across every single county in England, alongside 1,000 trees spanning Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Knowing that trees nurtured right here at our nursery are blooming in communities nationwide is an immense source of pride for our entire team.

Spring Blossom

As these newly planted trees settle into their permanent homes in Aberfan and beyond, we look forward to next spring when the blossoms burst into colour. They will stand as enduring symbols of hope, resilience, and international friendship for generations of school children and local residents to enjoy.

Learn about Prunus

Prunus trees, also known as flowering cherry trees, contain a wonderfully diverse range of deciduous and evergreen trees for the garden. Beautiful white or pink flowers ranging from winter to mid-summer. Some cherry blossom tree varieties have a spectacular display of autumn colours too.

These ornamental cherry trees are easy to grow on almost any well-drained soil but prefer chalk to acid. Prunus trees can be thinned out of some of the branches after flowering to encourage replacement growth. Our wide selection of cherry blossom trees for sale offers small, medium, and large varieties with various habits, so we have one to suit every garden!

You may quite often see prunus trees planted in public spaces, like parks or avenues. They are long-lived, robust and have a real presence when mature. The bees love the flowers!

There are over 400 species of cherry blossoms within this genera and we list a selection of the most diverse and suitable for gardens including Japanese flowering cherries. Japanese cherry blossom trees are a distinctive group of varieties separate from those mentioned already due to their country of origin, their age stretching as far back as 1000 years. In Japan, they are known as Sato-zakura meaning ‘village-cherries’.

Summary

• The following trees were planted as part of the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Aberfan disaster on 14 and 15 October 2026:
• Prunus Tai-haku, Prunus Beni- yutaka and Prunus x yedoensis

For more information on the Email: info@japanuksakura.org or visit their website: Sakura Cherry Tree Project,