I tried to take the family to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., last year -- on a week day, no less -- but we were was beaten back by the traffic.

Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener, has some alternatives for those of us needing a flower fix but who can't face the crowds.

She has a list  of several public gardens -- including the National Arboretum and Brookside Gardens -- as well as some neighborhoods to visit. And she has all the information you need to get there.

As for Kathy -- she advocates planting your own cherry tree and watching IT bloom!