Eleven days later (April 4), more photos of the same two young trees between the Starbucks and the Seawall Bar and Grill, which I now realize are Shogetsu.
First lame photo at Burrard Station - an annual tradition It's not really even open yet, but I'm sure it will be open in two or three days. So peak bloom 27-32 days from now. Perfect for my Easter Parade April 16. Not so great for Cherry Jam March 30. The buds are very pink, though, so there will be more colour than last year, when they were all finished and the leaves were out. In 2009, the first 'Akebono' flower photo was March 15, just a titch earlier. When the trees were in bloom, they were open in the rest of the city as well. I should probably mention that my predictions have been wrong almost every year. In warm years, it has been as few as 12 days from first flower to fully open. Starting in three days, we're supposed to have all days above 10C degrees, so maybe that's warm enough to make them open earlier.
These trees are starting to blossom now and should be nice this weekend. This is one of nicest display of cherry blossoms in Yaletown.
These blossoms are starting to re-appear and the David Lam Akebono orchard nearby is looking quite splendid.
Today this old tree is back in bloom having survived all the recent construction at its host building complex.
The Akebono's outside the townhomes are blooming now. Right along the seawall bike route (if you keep going east towards Plaza of Nations you will also pass the David Lam Park Akebono orchard and the Akebono lineup outside the townhomes along the seawall there).
Thanks for the nudge to post these, @yaletowner. The path is called Seabreeze Walk. I don't know why whatever work is being done there couldn't have waited until these had finished blooming. I passed these right after I discovered that the 'Snofozam' that used to be in a planter between here and the Aquabus is no longer in the planter. Up Hornby from there, at Pacific, is a temporary park, named for the developer who will do it in as soon as possible, that has has several 'Akebono' trees around the perimeter. In the next block, on the side of a hotel or apartment building, are two 'Akebono', and across the street are two more.
I happened to pass by this pretty little tree at Science World tonight but I think these are pear blossoms. It does look like there is a graft of a cherry tree attached to it with buds that will bloom later. Sort of a double delight in a mostly desolate construction zone and barren park but just not an ornamental cherry. I took pictures of the blossoms buds and graft if you want to see.
One photo shows another view of the tree and another shows a closeup of the nice but non-cherry blossoms with what appears to be a graft of some cherry (horizontal bark). My suspicion is that this tree is an edible fruit tree combination intended to be part of an urban orchard as an extension of the demonstration garden at Science World. Once construction ends and the summer extends, we shall see whether fruit appears and what signs appear to identify what this area is to represent.
Good attendance today at Joseph Lin's walk and talk. Starting at Burrard Station. 'Akebono' going strong. View attachment 147548 View attachment 147550
'Shirotae' on east side of Westin Bayshore blooming now, with a lot of leaves emerging too. \ 'Shirotae' on left and non-blooming 'Shogetsu' on right.
This grove of shirotae at Helmcken Park are now in full bloom on a blue sky day between the April shower storms.
That was April 7. Here they are April 15, still enough that I'm going to bring people to see them on the April 16 walk. On April 15: Between these two locations is a nice 'Akebono' planting on Bayshore Drive.
