West End / Stanley Park

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A few ‘Accolade’ blossoms on the trees at Aquatic Centre today. The deep freeze is on it’s way. Brrr.

 

Thanks, @Willard. I didn't see any flowers on these trees a few weeks ago when I looked (not very carefully).
The 'Autumnalis Rosea' at the Pacific Heights Co-op have been flowering quite well. The first photo is from the 19th of December, second one is from yesterday, both times when I was in the car waiting for that long light at Burrard.

 

They are beautiful
Thank you for scouting and merry Christmas blossoms

 

Very sparse ‘Accolade’ blossoms at the Chilco Mini Park.

 

Thanks. I was so cold, I forgot that I like to see snow on blossoms. I didn't even walk over there to check them out.

 

I was so surprised to see all these flowers on the three 'Whitcomb' cherry trees at Nicola mini-park, especially after I just saw that cultivar at UBCBG with no flowers at all. And also especially after the cold spell, was that two weeks ago? And it's gone back to just above freezing at night, with cold clammy sun-less fog during the day, except for the past two days.

 

This isn't peak bloom, but these 'Whitcomb' cherries from the same location as the previous posting, are visible from more than a block away, my neighbour mentioned that another location is "in bloom", and someone has posted the flowers on Facebook. So it must be time to post these photos. Grey sky ones were taken yesterday; blue sky are from today.

 

‘Ito-zakura’ in full bloom now on the NW corner of Thurlow and Barclay.







The ‘Yae-beni-shidare’ beside it won’t be too far behind. In full bud now.

 

Here are some pre-season 'Akebono' photos. This tree is only a few years old, though I can't remember when it was planted, maybe longer ago than I thought. It seems to be the most advanced in blooming of any of this cultivar in the West End or Downtown. Buds puffy, pale pink; pedicels are around 2cm.


The 'Akebono' two blocks away is the same age, but the buds are still smaller and darker.


I posted photos of the Prunus cerasifera plums in another thread. The flowers look very different.

 

This tree always makes me smile, even on a rainy day.

‘Beni-shidare’ overlooking English Bay, starting to bloom. Same as last year.

 

This 'Akebono' is about the same age, around four blocks from the one I posted before. Still pre-season, but chomping at the bit on March 18.


The 'Accolade' trees in Chilco mini-park and on Chilco on the half-block north of that are showing good colour.


These two 'Accolade' on Pacific Street close to the corner of Burrard I'm sure used to bloom a week or more later than the other West End 'Accolade' locations, but they're ahead of the others this year. I was stopped at the light when I took this.

 

Actually, that 'Accolade' in the photo above is really later than the ones across from the Aquatic Centre, which I saw today. I'm going to unfavourite them - the ones next to the Aquatic Centre, at the right foreground in this photo, are blooming very sparsely, and across the street, I think some of the original trees are missing.


Speaking above of pre-season 'Akebono', what was a trio here at English Bay is now a duo, with the one closest to the water with just remnants of its 'Akebono' past. I was after the Park Board several years ago to prune out the P. avium rootstock growth, and I got replies about how they'd do it at the proper time, but it never happened. It's a good time now for blossom photos.



Here is the 'Beni-shidare' that @Willard posted at Alexandra Park. This sunny day was totally unexpected. I wasn't planning to photograph this tree, but there was that woman in the matching jacket, so I had to do it.

 

Six days later, this 'Akebono' near me is at the nicest stage of bloom.


I've always liked this row of 'Akebono' on Eihu Lane north of Robson Street at Bute. This and the next location are in an area I would consider downtown, but on the city map, the neighbourhood is still the West End.


These 'Akebono' on the corner of Georgia and Bute were pruned a few years ago and looked terrible, but they've recovered.


There are still many 'Akebono' in the West End that have no flowers open.

 

This one tree on south side of Beach ave, East of driveway going down to the beach parking lot (which is closed at the moment). I must have been closer to Bute. The tree appeared to have a ceiling of pink as I rode under it on my bike. The blossom clusters seemed to be sparse along the branches which is why I am not confident it is an Akebono. as usual please correct my ID. Thanks L

 

Yes, 'Akebono'. There is such a great shot along there from my car driving east, where three trees are in the photo, and I haven't been lucky enough to catch a red light and it takes me too long to get my phone camera open. I think this is at Jervis. I suppose I could walk over there.

 

thx :) It is hard to id and take pics from the car.....at least on the bike i can usually convince my husband to stop, but not always and not for long....thx again. L

 

These are the tree Lisa photographed and another that are so prominently visible driving along Beach Avenue but which have rarely showed up here.


There are also two 'Akebono' just above Beach Avenue on Jervis.


These small 'Yae-beni-shidare' on Cardero look a little better this year than previously, but they're kind-of ungainly trees.

 

Fifteen ‘Snow Goose’ trees adjacent to the bike path at Ceperly Meadow in Stanley Park are starting to bloom.

 

Beautiful grove of ‘Akebono’ in full bloom on Chilco, south of Georgia.

 

It’s ‘Akebono’ season in Stanley Park.

Walking from Chilco Street towards the Rose Garden - ‘Akebono’ blooming everywhere.


These old trees might be ‘Somei-yoshino’ , but I could not ID.

 

There are three 'Somei-yoshino' you look down on from the overpass to the Rose Garden. I think they are on the map.

 

Fourteen years later, these 'yae-beni-shidare' look pretty-much the same. The three to the left of the entrance look not as healthy as the other two.

 

The 'Sendai-shidare' at Haro and Chilco was not in bloom when these were taken on the 26th.


But the ones on Comox and Chilco had a lot of flowers open.


The early-season 'Accolade; still looked good. In that same mini-park, the 'Shirotae' had lots of open flowers.

 

The two ‘Takasago’ on Beach Ave near Bidwell are in full glorious bloom today.

 

Fine pair of ‘Akebono’ on Beach Ave near Jervis.
In full bloom.