Every spring, more than a million people visit Washington DC to marvel at the canopy of pink and white cherry blossoms framing the city skyline. The Potomac cherry trees are in the limelight again, as Japan prepares to send 250 new saplings to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Many people might be aware that the original trees were a gift given more than a century ago, but few likely know that the idea originated with a pioneering female journalist.