When the US military dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, near 90,000 people died instantly. Many more would follow in the days, weeks, months and years to come, as the survivors rebuilt their city. But in the wreckage of a blast radius boasting a mile of total destruction, they found hope as well, in the sturdy trunks and slender branches of the trees still standing. Established in 2011, Green Legacy Hiroshima spreads this hope—and the cautionary tale contained therein—through seeds harvested from these surviving trees and sent across the world. Now some of those seeds have found there way to Selby Gardens, where, through the month of August, visitors can view the budding seedlings as they begin their lives in Florida climes.
Thanks in large part to a partnership with New College of Florida, the opportunity came to the attention of Selby Gardens through New College Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Manuel Lopez Zafra, who, on a recent visit to Japan, was struck by Green Legacy’s mission and its meaning.