Arbutus Ridge

It pays to be young and eager. It's barely a sapling, and it's barely the first week of March, but the Accolade on Oliver Crescent (north side, east of MacDonald) is already in the flush of youthful bloom at March 9, 2021.

 

It's nice to see a young 'Accolade'.

 

Here are the 'Accolade' that Anne posted on March 9. This one looks considerably better than the other. They seem to be low grafted. They both look better than the top-grafted ones @Willard showed us at
Sunshine Coast/Gulf Islands.


Here is the other one. I'm assuming on this that the rootstock suckers would not be 'Accolade', but really, I have no idea even if it's grafted.


I don't have such a good feeling about these, don't know whether to bother putting them on the map. But I just noticed that there is a 'Choshu-hizakura' on this block that should bloom when these have finished. I had forgotten about this one.

 

Maybe 'Accolade' is a tree that does suckers. It looks like it might be that way, from what I think might be happening from an old tree on Laurel, posted at Oakridge.

 

Choshu-hizakura is in fine form on Oliver Crescent (north side, east of MacDonald) at April 8, 2021, despite being entangled with the holly. The blossoms are showing the darker pink around the edges of the petals. Looks like it has its own trunk, too. However, the "brilliant purple-red" of emerging leaves is still an elusive shot. Some fragrance.

 

Stumpy Sendai-shidare is starting its bloom at the northwest corner of W. 22nd and Balsam at April 8, 2021. Has a similar mushroom head as the Sendai in Marpole.

 

Sendai-shidare's stump (NW corner, W. 22nd and Balsam) is now in full bloom at April 12, 2021.

Note the elongated calyxes and sepals; stiff pedicels; flowers with ragged edges, opening flat. No scent detectable this year.

 

And lack of hairs on the pedicels.

 

Takasago in full bloom on south side of W. 31st, one west of Macdonald, and


one west of Trafalgar, at April 16, 2021.

 

Showing the occasional extra sepals. Cool.

 

I only noticed one of these 'Accolade' this evening - there might still be two, but one was so beautiful, I didn't pay attention to anything else. It's hard to believe it's the same tree, but it has to be.

 

Jacqueline Lee, who has been with the Green Club of BC, wrote to say that the trees at Quilchena Park on Valley Drive near 30th Avenue are 'Fudan-zakura'. Other names we have considered are for later-blooming trees. The photos of these are a pretty good match for the 'Fudan-zakura' on Nanaimo Street and are blooming at the same time.

This one still counts as a tree.

 

Choshu-hizakura at peak bloom through the holly on Oliver Crescent (north side, east of MacDonald) April 19, 2021. The blossoms show the darker pink around the edges of the notched petals. Leaves emerging with flowers, turning bronze.

 

Right next door to the Choshu-hizakura are these young 'Shirotae' trees (north side Oliver Crescent, east of Macdonald). Just past peak bloom on April 19, 2023, as you can see a red centre starting in one blossom.

 

The 'Choshu-hizakura' on Oliver Crescent is in full bloom, three weeks earlier than last year. The flowers are so beautiful.



I was trying to get lost, which is easy to do in this area of diagonal streets hugging the hillside, and came across an impressive 'Yae-beni-shidare' on Puget Drive at W. 24th Ave, hardly any flowers open. So it was a successful effort.


We drove around the block to see this group of 'Akebono' at Trafalgar School on Trafalgar at W. 23rd Ave.

 

The 'Sendai-shidare' tree at the NW corner of W. 22nd and Balsam is past peak bloom at April 4, 2024.