This is how I made my cherry_blossom plot

plot_cherry_blossom_data.py

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from matplotlib.offsetbox import OffsetImage, AnnotationBbox
from matplotlib.cbook import get_sample_data

def imscatter(x, y, image, ax=None, zoom=1,alpha=1):
    if ax is None:
        ax = plt.gca()
    try:
        image = plt.imread(image)
    except TypeError:
        # Likely already an array...
        pass

    im = OffsetImage(image, zoom=zoom,alpha=alpha)
    
    x, y = np.atleast_1d(x, y)
    artists = []
    for x0, y0 in zip(x, y):
        ab = AnnotationBbox(im, (x0, y0), xycoords='data', frameon=False)
        artists.append(ax.add_artist(ab))
    ax.update_datalim(np.column_stack([x, y]))
    ax.autoscale()
    return artists


image_path = get_sample_data(blossom_pic_path)

year,flwr_day,flwr_date,mode,_,__=np.genfromtxt(data_txt_file,delimiter=",").T

#Get the smoothed series
smoothing=100
ys=np.arange(np.nanmin(year),np.nanmax(year)+1)
smooth_flwr_day=np.array([np.nanmean(flwr_day[np.isin(year,ys[t:t+smoothing])]) for\
                 t in np.arange(len(ys)-smoothing)])

ys=ys[smoothing//2:-smoothing//2]

#Make the plot
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
fig.set_figwidth(18)
fig.set_figheight(6)
ax.set_facecolor("xkcd:light blue")
imscatter(year, flwr_day, image_path, zoom=0.01, ax=ax,alpha=0.7)

#add smoothed line
ax.plot(ys,smooth_flwr_day,c="saddlebrown",lw=3)

#Add the minima line
preindust_ys=ys[np.argwhere(ys<1850)]
preindust_minday=smooth_flwr_day[np.isin(ys,preindust_ys)].min()
x0,x1=ax.get_xlim()
ax.hlines(preindust_minday,x0,x1,linestyles=":",colors="gray")
ax.set_xlim(x0,x1)

#prettifying.
ax.set_yticks([91,101,111,121])
ax.set_yticklabels(["01/04","11/04","21/04","01/05"],fontname="candara")#Assumes non leap year
ax.set_xticks(np.arange(800,2100,100))
ax.set_xticklabels(np.arange(800,2100,100),fontname="candara")
ax.set_ylabel("Day of the year\n cherry blossoms\n fully flowered\n in Kyoto",\
              fontsize=18,rotation=0,fontname="candara",labelpad=70)
ax.set_xlabel("Year",fontsize=18,fontname="candara")
plt.show()