'Shirotae'. They could be fragrant. It's the same cultivar that is planted along the allee leading to the Japanese Memorial in Stanley Park, but those wouldn't be in bloom yet.
Great 7 blocks of kanzans in full bloom on a nice sunny afternoon along W 7th bike route from Heather to Hemlock. Note this street is blocked to vehicles at Oak so it is best to bike or walk. There are also a few blocks nearby a block south on W 8th that are also nice.
Seven years later, two of the three trees remain and have grown enough to obscure the company signage on the side of building.
Cherry scouting with Wendy Cutler, decked out in cherry blossom shoes. 'Whitcomb' on Lamey's Mill Rd.
This nice canopied blocks and blocks of Kanzen are coming into bloom nicely on the West 7th bike route.
Some 'Kanzan' along False Creek opposite Granville Island are open and looking pretty impressive. These are favourites just east of the road onto the island. This group is along the seawall on the south side of False Creek, has been there for over ten years. There was a big to-do when some 'Kanzan' were removed for repairs to the road, but there are new trees there now, as promised by the city - a few 'Akebono' alongside the road (right side of the picture), and a row of 'Shiro-fugen' in the median strip. These are not open yet, but it's supposed to get quite warm this week - I'd expect them to be open by the weekend. Farther along at Charleson Park, these festival favourite 'Ukon' are in full bloom.
I think the 'Kanzan' at Ron Basford Park on Granville Island should be a festival favourite. Lots of photo opportunities there - even though the 18 trees are not in great shape , it's all about location..location...location.
Akebono in Creekside Park starting to bloom. The Creelman St plum tree canopy is more impressive right now.
This is an almost identical photo from today to that of last year of one of the two Whitcomb's on Lameys Mill Rd in bloom again.
The blossoming trees provide a nice view of downtown at Choklit Park on the 7th Avenue bike route. This bike route has sporadic patches of blossoms but some of the streets branching off have more. It is mostly better for the kanzan's which blossom later.
A view of the row of young kanzans along Spyglass Place from the west walking path on the Cambie Bridge this evening.
Kanzans line both sides of the streets through Fairview - going west off Fir along W3rd is nice but soon the bike route along W7th from Hemlock to Heather will be even neater as while some of the blossoms are already out, many of the buds are just ready to burst with just a bit more sun and warmth. It doen't really end at Heather as there are more up and down along Heather too.
Just in case more blossoms are needed to finish the pink petal carpet on city streets, there is a new planting of a row of Shiro-fugens (originally thought as yet more Kanzans but corrected by Wendy) on the new Creekside Drive median between the bike path and the street. Their blossoms were hanging in tight with the high winds on a bluebird sunny Saturday.
The three Shiro-fugen trees by the dock at the Dockside Restaurant Patio (part of the Granville Island Hotel) are looking very un-Shirofugenish with their green leaves and pale-pink blossoms turning pure white. In their second age on May 2, 2019.
Two 'Whitcomb' on 16th and Ash may not have been posted since 2011. They are a little more exciting to see when driving past, enough to make me feel bad about driving past and I went back to photograph them. They are a lot bigger than I remember.
I did a little loop yesterday, from Broadway and Granville, down to False Creek, across to Cambie, and back to the start. I was pleased at my fortunate timing, to find these o-yama-zakura (Sargent cherries) in bloom at Granville Loop Park on 5th Avenue. I think these are low-grafted. The 'Akebono' at Sutcliffe Park are just starting to open. @yaletowner posted an almost identical photo two years ago. One day we'll get here when they're really in bloom. The 'Accolade' at Alder Bay Co-op is in rough shape, but it's still there and it's in bloom. I had forgotten this it0-zakura at Henley Court, near the False Creek seawall west of Spyglass. It's a good-looking tree, either low-grafted or not-grafted.
Continuing up Cambie Street, the 'Snow Goose' and 'Rancho' across West 2nd from the Olympic Village Skytrain station are just starting to show some flowers. Just. 'Snow Goose' are the larger ones in this photo. But up on Cambie, two blocks away, 'Rancho' had a lot of open flowers. 'Shirotae' on Hemlock just north of Broadway have a few open flowers, as do most of them in the warmer neighbourhoods.