Two 'Whitcomb' trees on Lamey's Mill Road on March 7, one festooned. These were posted last year on March 11. So far, it does seem that's there's less than a week's difference in blooming time from last year (a late year) to this.
The young 'Rancho' and 'Snow Goose' are growing nicely just west of Cambie near the exit from 6th. The white in the first photo is a 'Snow Goose' behind the tree, not growth on the 'Rancho'. Cambie divides several neighbourhoods. I've been assigning median trees to the neighbourhood to the west. These 'Rancho' are also growing nicely - ten of them between 7th and 8th, and six between 8th and Broadway.
Michael Brown sent the festival a movie of one of his favourite 'Akebono' locations, showing several young trees in a park behind Boston Pizza at Broadway and Birch. He indicated that he was sending it to be added to our map, so I made the snapshot from the video to be used for that.
Kanzens on 7th Looks to be the lead tree for what could be several spectacular blocks of Kanzen starting to bloom along the West 7th Ave bike route from Heather to Oak.
Re: Fairview - one 'Pink Perfection' on a 'Kanzan' block Woo-hoo, major excitement today. I met up with Sue Wagner entirely by accident, and on the way home, Sue drove me to see this single 'Pink Perfection' on a street of 'Kanzan' running from Burrard to Fir (first two photos are the 'Kanzan'). The last photo shows both cultivars; blossom photos are the 'Pink Perfection', on the south side of 3rd mid-block between Fir and Pine. We also saw a likely 'Pink Perfection' (not pictured) on 3rd at the NE corner of Burrard but weren't able to stop. It was more upright that we'd expect for that ID, so it awaits further investigation.
Re: Fairview - one 'Pink Perfection' on a 'Kanzan' block It's 'Kanzan', even though the colour of the leaves and flowers appears different from that of the older 'Kanzan' on the block. So just the one 'Pink Perfection' on this street.
An unnamed member of the public added a marker to our map, at Heather between Broadway and 7th, saying "Several trees lining Heather St". 'Kanzan' run on both sides of Heather from 7th to 8th and on the west side up to Broadway. They also line the north side of 8th for at least a block both directions from Heather. And on Willow for a block from 7th to 8th.
Exactly 2 years later, two of these trees have bloomed with it looks like a few nice viewing days ahead. The first blossoms I have seen cycling around False Creek so far this year. More to come with this warm weather.
Near the tennis courts and at the end of a dead end street where there's a traffic circle, are two lovely old Accolades at 15th and Pine. I took these pictures yesterday. Maybe someone can visit in a couple of days when they are fully in bloom.
These two trees are in bloom today. Interestingly, some of the Akebonos on the north side of 16th a little further west (between Willow and Heather) have also begun to bloom. As has been previously noted, because these trees are protected by a south-facing building, they tend to bloom a little earlier than other Akebonos. Here's a pic from today (w/ my iPhone). Laura 3:)
The 'Akebono' trees in Sutcliffe Park are looking splendid - across from 1360 Island Park Walk. A friend recommended that I go to see the ones on Creekside, so I'm passing on that recomendation. I didn't get there today. I could see them in the distance though, plenty showy.
This park on the corner of 10th and Heather has been posted before - 'Shirotae' at the NW and SE corners. And a lone 'Shirotae' one block over on Ash at 10th. This is my attempt to see these 'Rancho' when my eyes had just been refracted, and really, I could see nothing on my camera screen. These are on the median on Cambie north of Broadway. They were posted last year, seem to be growing very quickly.
Ash St. & West 7th Well the canopy of Kanzan blossoms on West 7th starting at Ash and going west on the bike route is back but a block south on Ash, there are four older trees with blossoms that look like Ichiyo but I've been told are Shirofugen.
Granville Island Kanzan The mass of Kanzen by Granville Island is visible from Yaletown across False Creek. The Akebono at Sutcliffe Park are not the end of the cherry blossoms there and right on the Island itself at Ron Basford Park, there are 18 Kanzen - some old, some young with artwork that provides a nice frame for the view too.
Creekside Park Shogetsu I thought it might be nice to provide an update on this nice Shogetsu in the context of all the Kanzan blooming all down the street nearby.
In the rain today,the blooms on the Birch Bark Cherry have not fared very well but the delicate little flowers can be seen on the grove in front of the apartment building on West 8th near Ash. Sadly, one of the trees in this group seems to be on its way out.
Of course this 'Akebono' is not in bloom, but with its colourful trunk wrapping, it's pretty decorative. It's going to lose the wrapping soon, so here it is, outside the office of Durante Kreuk - Peter Kreuk is the chair of the VCBF.
Here is what I'm calling ito-zakura. I think it's too early for 'Snofozam', and this looks low grafted, and I don't think 'Snofozam' come that way. It's obviously along the seawall, on the south side of False Creek, between Stamps Landing and Spyglass. Just off Spyglass are nine 'Akebono' in a courtyard playground area. They're not open yet, but I'd like to get them on the map.
I agree that it doesn't quite match 'Snofozam', which to my eye has more substantial and whiter flowers and somewhat stiffer stems. The pedicels (flower stems) are also less hairy than this one. I suspect it's just a pale selection of Prunus subhirtella var. pendula. If we're right, then "ito-zakura" (thread cherry) is a perfectly good common name. There is an unlabelled plant in the UBC Orchard that is a good match for this plant. The UBC plant is quite dwarf because it is grafted on 'Colt' rootstock. I wonder if the Fairview plant is, as well, given that it seems rather diminutive. Seedling Prunus subhirtella var. pendula plants can grow to a significant size. The UBC orchard was the source of much propagation material for the Vancouver area in the 1980s and 1990s.
I'm calling these five very nice fairly young trees o-yama-zakura, Prunus sargentii. The flowers look similar to 'Rancho', though much paler in colour, flowers 4cm across, buds sticky, umbels with 2-3 flowers, glabrous pedicels. The habit is too broad for 'Rancho'. These look low-grafted to me, though it seems I have no idea how to tell what is low-grafted and what is on its own roots. These are on 5th just east of Granville, bordering Granville Loop Park.
Here is another ito-zakura in Fairview. It looks like it started a deeper colour, but it looks more white now than the 'Beni-shidare' around. I think petals seem more round and flowers more open than 'Beni-shidare', but I'm not sure of that.
New find in Fairview: a tall beautiful 'Ama-no-gawa' on the north side of 7th west of Alder. The 'Ukon' at the bottom of Choklit Park, Spruce and 6th, are in full bloom. Over on Granville Island, at the east end, this little grove of 'Kanzan' are showing more colour than this cultivar is elsewhere.
A young Shirofugen is in bloom today, March 31. On 8th near the corner of Oak, it is the lone member of its cultivar in a street of Kanzans, many of which have been pruned to accommodate the overhead wires.
