The trees this year are all doing their own thing - it's easy to get a photo that contains an 'Akebono' just about at peak bloom (70%) with another 'Akebono' still in bud, the two practically next to each other. I don't even know what to do about dates on the map. So I've done almost nothing so far. Thanks for the David Lam Park report. I was going to ask, but I thought you might do it anyway! It's supposed to be warm enough this week to speed up the blooming, but with the cold rain, maybe that will slow them down?
Burrard Station 'Akebono' were probably at peak bloom two days ago, March 19. Here are too many photos.
I was there, too! :) They seem to be in full bloom from a distance, but a closer look shows many unopened buds. Hopefully, they’ll hold off until the big picnic next weekend. There is a single tree that looks like a young ‘Somei-yoshino’ grafted onto an unnaturally straight (and ugly) rootstock.
The blossom viewers from David Lam Park are also enjoying the Akebono on the nearby townhomes along the Yaletown Marinaside seawall.
That lone Somei Yoshino was planted in April 2022 (check post on this forum April 6 2022). Linda Poole led the planting at a Cherry Blossom Festival event!
Helmcken Park, 2 blocks east of David Lam Park, now has a nice display of a mature blossoming Shirotae grove with a couple of young Rancho on the street sidewalk and some big Akebono inside the Yaletown House yard. Nearby food service outlets - including Wren Bakery Cafe on Nelson between Mainland and Cambie - are offering cherry blossom festival themed items. The entertainment lineup for Blossoms After Dark at David Lam Park looks good.
It has been 7 years since this nice now more mature row of Akebono along the Coal Harbour seawall has been posted here but there were many people enjoying them on a dry spring afternoon.
And here is an update as these Beatty Mews kanzans are now in full blossom on a nice sunny day. A few early Kanzen blossoms at Beatty Mews with many buds ready to follow soon maybe in full bloom for Sun Run on Sunday April 19th. Shirotae at Helmcken Park are still looking nice but young Rancho are about done while are Jardine's Akebono blossoms are essentially all done.
More Kanzan are starting to bloom along Davie St in Yaletown. I edited the Helmcken Park post to add a photo of Shirotae in full bloom with the sun shining on them.
'Shogetsu' are at their most beautiful emerging flowers stage, with white blossoms still showing pink from the buds. This cultivar has almost disappeared from the West End and Downtown. These are at the Westin Bayshore. Of the (was it?) four originally at the entrance to the property, only this one remains, and the tree is not much to look at. You can tell that the blossoms are nice, but right now, it's hard to get close to them. But over on the east side of the building, there are two to the right of two 'Shirotae', and then to the right of the side entrance are another two. If these are grafted, they are low-grafted. On the path leading to the trees on the side is a new (I think it's new) 'Yae-beni-shidare'. I had to wonder, as the flowers are so white, but there are a few that have vestiges of their original pink colouring. The details look the same as in others of this cultivar, calyx colour, sepal shape, hairs on the pedicels.
Burrard & Georgia last Sunday 12th… I wish I could add a short video to play the ringing church bells I don’t recall the variety of tree here
more artistry - I thought what’s left of the skeleton tree near sculpture of lady with purse « the search » might enjoy a petal try-on - tho the whispy clouds are already emulating petals
Here is a lone 'Shiro-fugen' on Thurlow north of Melville. I don't remember if I have seen this tree before, though it's close to an intersection I pass five days a week. It's managed to figure out how to stretch its limbs. About the same distance from the corner, but east on Melville (I see the street sign now - the intersection of Melville, Melville and Dunsmuir) is an attractive group of three 'Shiro-fugen'. Trees in both locations are morphing to their next stage, from bronze leaves and white flowers, to green leaves and pink flowers. This location is providing a good photo-op.
Here are the same 'Shiro-fugen' trees at Melville and Dunsmuir on May 1, so a week later than the previous posting, well into their pink on green appearance. What I really wanted to post is my favourite little cove parklet tucked between buildings on the north side of Georgia just west of Bute. There are ten low-grafted 'Shiro-fugen' and two 'Shogetsu'. The building walls prevent the trees from spreading, so they have a much more vertical appearance than you'd normally see. 'Shiro-fugen' flowers, a few with the fluorescent late-season colouring 'Shogetsu' flowers Here are the sweet cherry root suckers on two of the 'Shiro-fugen' trees. Two young-ish 'Kanzan' at the northeast corner of Broughton and Georgia, with a similar shape. The street tree is low-grafted.
