Cherry Blossom time - Vancouver BC?

Discussion in 'Ornamental Cherries' started by Georgia Strait, Dec 18, 2016.

  1. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    ... wouldn't you have to be a gardener to be thinking ahead on a day like this at the coast (ie more snow and lots of it on the North Shore)

    in any event - when - typically - are the best blossoms in Vancouver - Stanley Park - west side/UBC?

    I am being asked by folks considering a spring visit to Vancouver BC -

    and I suppose it depends on where the best concentration of trees are
    and what variety (and even species - like plum, crab, cherry)

    thank you
    and looking forward to our spring "pink snow"
     
  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    It totally depends not only on the cultivar, but the weather in the preceding months. For the early cherries, there can be a four-week difference in blooming time one year to the next, and even a two-week difference for the late cultivars. If you click the map picture at Neighbourhood Maps - Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, that will take you to the festival map where you can search by cultivar or location or blooming time, to see what the blooming dates were last year, which was an early year. If the winter continues to be cold, I would expect to have a late year, with the popular 'Akebono' not out until early or mid-April, and most popular 'Kanzan' waiting until the end of April.

    I'm not adjusting any map blooming dates until we have a better idea what's going on. All those postings from the Cherry Scouts in the VCBF Neighbourhood Blogs forums are my source for the blooming dates info on the map. You don't have to register to be a scout - just look for cherries and post photos to let others know what is blooming where. (And Georgia Strait, thanks for giving me this chance to make this plug).
     
  3. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    thank you and I notice some quince ready to bloom on a very south-facing somewhat sheltered area near the beach North Shore (near Vancouver BC)

    Ms. Cutler - I notice that all those pretty blossom trees along Hornby and Georgia are totally removed from the north side of art gallery downtown - were they re=planted somewhere? I hope.

    in any event-
    would you say that the blossom trees around the Hotel Vancouver (the old hotel) are of a particular type?

    also - I was looking up the "significance" of blossoms - and some websites say that cherry blossoms represent the transience of life - Buddhist -

    so without delving in to deep conversations - have you heard that life meaning in your festival? I like the picnic idea that I've read about too - that is a whole life in one hour ; )

    I ask because our visitors are participating in a person's memorial celebration and this aspect of ongoing life would be meaningful.

    I will read up more info on the Festival website (I like the "bike the blossoms and cheer on the cherries" tag line!
    Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival: March 30-April 23, 2017 - Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
     
  4. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Those were plums, of which Vancouver has very many. There would not be any point to saving those easily obtainable trees. There is a photo here:
    Plums.
    I'm not sure what you're referring to here. I don't remember any cherry trees at the Hotel Vancouver. There used to be 'Kanzan' cherries on Georgia Street, west from Burrard or Thurlow. I'm not sure how far east they ran.
    Glad I'm not being asked for any deep conversations. The festival's History - Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival page does end with this line:
    "The ephemeral nature of the blossoms reminds us to seize the moment and celebrate life now."

    In spite of what you're seeing on those quince, I'm still expecting this to be a late year for cherry blossoms, but I'm still not adjusting the map until mid-February.
     
  5. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    Plum blossoms are not considered to be the lesser blossom, are they? To the untrained eye there's little difference between plum and cherry blossoms. To me they are equally beautiful.
    Reminds me of the blossom scenes in The Last Samurai in which Katsumoto and Algren reflect on life.
     
  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Sure, but the cherry blossom festival is about cherries, and helping people develop an interest in our cherries and a more trained eye to be able to distinguish one cultivar from another and to distinguish cherries from plums. And beautiful as plums may be, it's not worth saving for replanting two or four of the 19,000 or so purple plum trees in the city.
     

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