These are sweet cherries, Prunus avium, and we are not considering them ornamental cherries (to myself, I call them "business cherries" rather than ornamentals) and don't put them on the map, unless they are extraordinary big old trees. There are a lot of them around town, some of which were deliberately planted, and many of which started life as the rootstock for an ornamental. You will see plenty of trees with half white and half red flowers (the red either 'Rancho' or 'Kanzan'), or one half 'Akebono'. The easiest way to identify them is by the circles in the centre, since the sepals are curled back, so you don't get the star effect that you get from the single white ornamental cherries. There is an ornamental double white cultivar of this, avium 'Plena', which is in our book, and which we do put on the map.
'Kiku-shidare-zakura'. Bigger flowers, more congested than 'Yae-beni-shidare'. They have a very short life-span, like a few years, though there are a few older trees around. The mismatch between the tops and the rootstock is usually glaringly terrible.
Wow, what is that? I can't think what that could be. I've copied this to Ornamental Cherries thread Very tall tree, light pink single flowers, late mid-season to discuss the ID there.
You are right, Wendy ...the 'Kiku-zakura' on Maple at 14th are further along than the ones on Gravely and Garden. These trees are larger and presumably older.
I got there on time, but they weren't in focus and it was last week already. I'm a little behind. This location is called Seaforth Peace Park. There are a few other cherries here as well as a very dark pink crab apple. Here is the 'Hosokawa-nioi' and some 'Kanzan' from April 28. The 'Hosokawa-nioi' has fewer and fewer flowers every year. I don't expect it to be around much longer, though there is a lot of growth from the trunk. I hope it's been propagated.
I have to post these from April 28. Here are a couple of good 'Ama-no-gawa' finds. The first one has everything going for it - attractive setting, room to grow, healthy-looking tree. At Trutch and 5th, as tall as the house. If I remember correctly, there are two very tall 'Ama-no-gawa' at 5th and Vine, on what appears to be a group of properties with several cherry trees. There is also the new 'Ama-no-gawa' that looks so little, but it's twice the height of these people, who were not concerned when I said that their photo was going to appear here. The flowers are from the young tree. There are two nice 'Kanzan' and a 'Beni-shidare' on the property.
I'm surprised these 'Blireiana' plum trees are opening before the single-flowered purple-leafed plum street trees, but there is a street tree in my neighbourhood that has a lot of open flowers too. These flowers are very pretty and fool lots of people into thinking they're cherries.
Wendy Cutler had 'Okame' in Kitsilano on her radar, and sure enough - in bloom today. This one on West 6th Avenue east of Stephens. In fact, pink snow already.
Not to be outdone, the 'Okame' in the Country Lane (south side of 5th Ave, east of Maple) also blooming.
