The pink Mariage tulip arrived at a house in Northwest Washington just before 12:30 p.m. It was nestled in a white vase alongside 29 other tulips, smelling of honey and citrus.
The bell rang.
A woman answered.
Valentine’s Day was almost here.
Washington, D.C
In D.C., some Valentine’s Day tulips come from an Alexandria basement
She and her husband, Daniel, named their business Port City Flowers, and they dreamed of one day buying a farm and growing fields of blooms.
So Katie and Daniel cleared the basement for growing. They bought two dehumidifiers and four fans to keep the room at about 70 degrees and 55 percent humidity; sank about $2,000 into refashioning a separate room into a “cooler” to store bulbs and cut flowers; and hung LED lights near extra bottles of champagne and spare tools. Near a map reading “Adventure awaits,” they installed two tables lined with hydroponic trays. On them, they planted roughly 2,000 bulbs.
Every morning and every evening, they walked downstairs and studied the trays. They checked to see which flowers were ready to harvest and which were showing signs of cell damage — their stems shaped like the beginning of a frown.
Five days before Valentine’s Day, the dark basement was bursting with color. The Pamplona tulips glowed red, the Dream Touch a deep purple, and the Mariage were just starting to open their petals, revealing layers of gentle blush pink. Katie felt like she and her husband had brought spring to Alexandria two months early.
She plucked 140 tulips, including the Mariage, and placed them in white and blue buckets. Then she hauled them to the cooler.
Two days before Valentine’s Day, Katie picked up the buckets, loaded them into her car and drove to a green storefront just outside Adams Morgan.
Amber Flack, the owner of Little Acre Flowers, grabbed the buckets and took them into her shop. Inside was a Valentine’s Day assembly line: Scissors gnawed at stems, razors sliced wrapping paper, and water slapped against dozens of empty vases.
It was Flack’s first Valentine’s Day as the owner of Little Acres, a flower shop that only sells locally grown blooms. The business runs in part on customers seeing value in locally planted flowers, which can last longer and are better for the planet. Roses, among the most popular cut flowers in the world, rarely grow in the D.C. during wintertime — unlike tulips.
Flack took the tulips from Burke and placed them in a fridge, sliding the door shut. Flowers were arriving from across the region: White forsythias, which smelled like nectar. Ornamental kale. Snapdragons. Then she went back to the fridge, grabbed the bucket of tulips that included the Mariage, and tucked them one by one into a white vase — balancing the shades of pink and peeling off leaves to find the right amount of green to complement the pink rather than overshadow it.
About 11:30 a.m., a man wandered in. He asked if he could buy a bouquet. The tulips outside had reminded him that Valentine’s Day was only two days away, and he had yet to plan anything for his wife. Flack told him that the store only took online orders. He rushed home to put one in.
Just before noon, Todd Geiwitz, who owns a local delivery company, picked up the bouquet with the Mariage tulip and loaded it into the back of his van. It was one of 60 deliveries on Monday, and about 400 through Valentine’s Day.
Geiwitz drove through tree-lined streets in upper Northwest Washington, past joggers and goldendoodles on long leashes. Then he arrived at his first job of the day. He opened the back door of his truck, and the smell of honey and citrus filled the damp February air.
He walked up the front steps to a bright blue door and rang the bell. Lauren Laitin answered. She saw the Mariage tulip glowing among the other flowers, its petals now mostly unfurled.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “This is so awesome.”
4 things to know about the weather:
- Grab the umbrella
- Big temperature ranges
- Thunder possible Thursday night
- Warmer days on the way
Heads up commuters! For Thursday morning, there will be some thick fog in spots with some rain possible, especially around the Mason-Dixon line. The fog should clear out by 10 a.m.
Throughout the day, some sunshine should develop with highs warming into the low 60s. Those in Northern Maryland could see some showers throughout the day but those near the D.C. area will stay relatively dry except for a stray shower or two.
Some rain and evening storms by 8 p.m. will impact the area Thursday night. Although it’s a bit unusual for this time of year, don’t be surprised if you hear thunder Thursday evening.
Warmer temperatures coming this weekend
These next few days will come with some major forecast challenges.
Much, much warmer air is just to our south and cold, high pressure is moving into New England. The front separating the 40s from the 70s will be laying right across our region for the next two to three days.
So keep in mind, when you’re looking at the forecast highs in the text below, that it will be warmest in Fredericksburg, VA and coolest in northern Maryland.
Friday’s weather will be similar as a front system remains just over the area, separating chilly air to the north and warmer air to the south. There might be a stray shower or two, too.
For the weekend, Saturday looks to be the warmer of the two days with highs in the low to mid 70s. Some rain overnight Saturday will lead to cooler temperatures on Sunday.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
QuickCast
THURSDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Stray Shower Possible
Big Temperature Range
Wind: Southeast 5 mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 62° to 72°
THURSDAY NIGHT:
Cloudy And Chilly
Rain Likely
Some Thunder Possible
Wind: Northeast 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 70%
LOWS: 44° to 54°
FRIDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler For Most
Isolated Shower Or Two
Wind: East 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 52° to 68°
SATURDAY:
Partly Sunny
Breezy And Warmer
Isolated Shower
Wind: Southwest 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 66° to 78°
SUNDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler
Few Showers Possible
Wind: Northwest 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 64° to 72°
Sunrise: 6:35 Sunset: 6:05
Average High: 53° Average Low: 36°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. taxpayers may be confused by back-and-forth between the D.C. City Council and Congress over taxprovision. The city’s financial officer sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, that said the District’s tax laws will not change, despite recent actions by Congress.
7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy.
“The short answer is, nothing changes. Filing Season can continue as it has been, continue as planned, and according to the laws as we understood them in January,” said Husak.
“If you’ve already filed your taxes, you don’t have to change anything. And if you want to file your taxes, the rules are still the same as they were on the books before,” said Husak.
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Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’s revenue estimate issued Friday does not include an estimated $180 million expected this fiscal year from the city’s decoupling law, “due to the uncertainty of the associated revenue as a result of Joint Resolution 142,” according to a released letter.
“The CFO was in a tough spot here. If he agreed with Congress, then businesses and overtime workers will get bigger refunds. But if he agreed with the Mayor and the Attorney General, then families with children and lower income workers would get bigger tax cuts,” said Husak.
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“We as District residents can’t control, you know what happens in the courts, what happens in, you know, what Congress does in the future,” said Husak. “But for now, the CFO has said, you know this is, this is a law as it stands, and the law that I’m going to enforce so, you know, file your legally obligated taxes, and maybe in the future, there’ll be a surprise.”
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW
7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy (7News).{ }
WASHINGTON (7News) — The nation’s capital is just about ready to be transformed into a breathtaking pastel landscape of cherry trees in bloom. The famed blossoms around the Tidal Basin are not only a symbol of spring’s arrival, but also of a long-standing friendship — a gift of more than 3,000 trees from Tokyo, Japan, to the United States in 1912.
So what is considered “Peak Bloom”?
The National Park Service (NPS) defines peak bloom as the time when at least 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin have opened their blossoms. This is the period when the blossoms appear most full and spectacular and most ideal for photos, and soaking up spring’s beauty here in DC.
Because cherry trees respond to the cumulative effects of winter and spring weather, especially daily temperatures, it’s very difficult to predict peak bloom more than about 10 days in advance. Warm spells accelerate blooming; cold snaps slow it down.
Average Timing — What History Shows
Since 1921 overall, national data indicate peak bloom typically fell around early April (April 4), based on historical averages.
Average date peak bloom – cherry blossom trees Washington DC Tidal Basin
Since 1990, the average has kept shifting earlier and earlier. In fact, the last 6 years our peak has occurred in late March.
These shifts reflect how warmer springs have nudged peak bloom earlier over the decades.
Earliest & Latest Blooms on Record
Earliest peak bloom: March 15 — recorded in 1990.
Latest peak bloom: April 18 — recorded in 1958.
Of course, most years fall between those dates, with the last week of March to the first week of April historically being the most consistent window for peak bloom.
Earliest Peak Bloom Washington DC
Recent peak blooms show how variable and climate-dependent the timing can be:
2025: The National Park Service predicted peak bloom between March 28–31 (and confirmed the official peak around March 28).
2024: Peak bloom arrived very early, on March 17, several days ahead of NPS projections — tied for one of the earliest peaks in decades.
These examples demonstrate not only how much each season can differ, but also a trend toward earlier spring blossoms in recent years.
What to Expect for Spring 2026
As of early March 2026, the cherry trees are still dormant. The buds haven’t begun significant growth yet. The weather will become more critical in the weeks leading up to the bloom will be the biggest factor in determining when peak bloom happens in 2026.
Heavy winter cold, as experienced this year, tends to delay bloom compared with recent early springs. In contrast, an early warm stretch could push peak bloom earlier — as long as it doesn’t come with subsequent frost.
Look for the green bud stage first. This is when the buds are small, tight, and green, with no sign of petals yet. Trees are still several weeks from blooming.
Tips for Cherry Blossom Visitors
Plan in the “sweet spot” — peak bloom often lasts a few days to about a week, but weather (rain, wind, heat) can shorten that window.
Visit slightly before or after the predicted peak dates for smaller crowds and extended color. Blossoms can be gorgeous even before 70% bloom or as petals begin falling.
Check NPS updates and First Alert Weather forecasts in late March for tweaked peak bloom dates.
The cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C. remain one of the most iconic harbingers of spring in the U.S., and while exact bloom dates vary year-to-year, history and natural patterns point to late March through early April as your best bet for seeing the Tidal Basin in full floral glory.
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