'Whitcomb' is about 20% out at UBC. These are trees are near the parking lot and are not grafted. They are still looking healthy (no signs of brown rot). Unfortunately, the garden is closed for another three weeks.
Well, I hope we get to see more of the cherries this year than we did last year. Thanks to Douglas Justice for kicking off the 2021 season.
March 3, and UBCBG has re-opened today for visitors, with the 'Whitcomb' cherry trees posted just above fully open to welcome us back. This is a great start to the season, and these might be the best-looking 'Whitcomb' cherries anywhere. Well, my experience is limited to the Vancouver area, where these are certainly the best-looking trees of this cultivar. The tree on the right in the first photo has a more shrubby appearance, with several trunks, which you can see in the second photo. It's the middle tree in the third photo, spreading widely to the left, making a tree in the background appear to be a fourth cherry, but there are only three of this cultivar here.
You must be so happy to have a garden open to visit, our lockdown has still not ended and tbh depression of not being able to visit wonderful gardens is getting to us. Do keep the wonderful photos coming Wendy.
I snuck in to the office to do a quick stint of IT tasks yesterday after hours (am otherwise not permitted to be in the office), but I snapped this pic of that 'Whitcomb'. I also saw Wendy, but I was in a bit of a rush (sorry, Wendy).
Three cherries in bloom on March 31, 2021. In the middle of the Peter Wharton Grove is 'Surugadai-nioi', in full bloom. It was only slightly fragrant, and I had to work at finding out about that. Off to the side, more as a border to the reception centre, is what I think is a new 'Accolade', with the best colouring. I don't know how long this 'Pandora' has been here next to the driveway, but it's the first time I've caught the flowers.
There was a recent posting for ID in the VCBF threads of what was a 'Whitcomb' cherry very much past its season. So I took some photos here today (April 14), since there isn't that nice deep pink colouring at this stage to help with a 'Whitcomb' ID, and there are leaves. 'Whitcomb'
I think there have been two recent postings in the VCBF forums of 'Accolade' looking very good now. I was a little uncomfortable with that ID of what is an early season cherry, looking like that when late mid-season trees are in bloom, even though the trees and flowers looked right. So I was happy to see so many flowers still looking good on the young tree here. 'Accolade'
The 'Surugadai-nioi' has finished blooming now, just some red-centred flowers, and larger leaves. I didn't realize I was going to post everything here, so I didn't photograph 'Pandora', which is also finished except for red-centred flowers. 'Surugadai-nioi'
I was initially, well, until today actually, a little peeved that Douglas Justice decided to propagate 'Umineko', because it is practically identical to 'Snow Goose', which is being planted around town these days, and I thought we would forevermore have to call trees that looked like these " 'Umineko' or 'Snow Goose' ". But these 'Umineko' are much larger than 'Snow Goose' planted at the same time (2015). I don't know if it's because 'Snow Goose' are grafted onto dwarfing rootstock, and these trees are not grafted. Whatever it is, these are big dense trees and don't look anything like the 'Snow Goose' I'm seeing. @Ron B told us about the background and naming at Identification: - Snow Goose - single white, upright, mid-season. A garden member was having a little hanami by the trees. The tree shape, at least at this point, doesn't lend itself to sitting under. That made it easier to chat with her. 'Umineko'
Here is a 'Shirotae' demonstrating why Douglas Justice did not recommend that the VCBF include this cultivar in their plant sale several years ago. 'Shirotae' I don't know if this young 'Shirotae' has been planted in case the older one doesn't survive. It's not at all in bloom yet, and I would never have recognized it for this cultivar. The leaves are great, though.
The 'Gyoiko' ('Kizakura' label) is not at all in bloom yet. I love the purple buds. The 'Ukon' ('Asagi' label) is at about the same stage.
'Ojochin', with it's "large paper lantern" buds, is just starting to open, all the better to see its large crinkled sepals. One of the two trees has some flowers on view, but not so many that they obscure the leaves with those great hairy margins.
I don't know if the area to the right as you enter the parking lot are considered to be part of the Peter Wharton Cherry Grove or not. There are a few here, some of my favourites. This is 'Mikuruma-gaeshi', with large (for cherry) flowers that are mostly single pinky-white, but occasionally with some extra petals and petaloids. I was very taken today with the pink stars in the centre of the flowers. I don't know another cherry that does that. 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' In this area is an 'Ichiyo', not yet open here, but there are a lot of open flowers on these in the West End. 'Ichiyo' 'Maackii' is a later-blooming tree, grown primarily for its decorative bark. The buds are just starting. Exactly the same thing regarding blooming time and decorative bark can be said for this Prunus hybrid (P. serrula x P. sargentii 'Sir Edwin Muller') on the left as you enter the property. Prunus hybrid
The row of 'Tai-haku' outside the garden gate is looking splendid. These flowers are about the same size as the 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' flowers posted above. Unlike all the other cherries in garden, these trees are grafted.
Not 'Shirotae'; corrected to 'Ito-kukuri' I posted this above as 'Shirotae' in posting #12, because that's what the label said. A week later, the flowers are all open. This is not 'Shirotae'; it looked to me pretty much like the two 'Ojochin' that are next to it - flower size, huge sepals (for cherries) with winged tips, leaves with attenuated tips and others with rounded tips. The flowers are very white, but that's the case for the flowers on the older trees. The only thing that gives me pause are the lack of extra petals (I think there were some, but I didn't manage to capture more than one out of focus), and all those leaves with just a few flowers, giving a green impression, while the older trees come across as all white. BUT, Douglas Justice says "The little plant is ‘Ito-kukuri’. It is from tissue culture, which is why it is so juvenile and basally branched. It will take a few years for the flowers to look right."
'Gyoiko' This is still not really in bloom yet, appropriately, since they should bloom a week later than 'Ukon'. Just some flowers are open. They are more green than the 'Ukon', but they are also smaller, not so healthy-looking. Or is it only that they just opened?
Here are three more from two days ago. 'Ichiyo' was not at all in bloom last week; now it's totally open. 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' had a lot of open flowers last week, still with fresh pink colouring. This Wednesday, they were white, aging with red centres. Well, a few flowers were trailing behind. Note the petal veining in the third photo. Prunus hybrid (P. serrula x P. sargentii 'Sir Edwin Muller') had nothing open last week. This week, the flowers are finishing. Douglas Justice said in his Tree Talk video that the garden is planning on naming this.
Douglas Justice's virtual Tree Talk and Walk takes place entirely in this Peter Wharton Cherry Grove. You can get to it from the festival Tree Talks and Walks - Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (vcbf.ca) page, or on YouTube at UBC Cherry Blossom Tree Talks and Walks - YouTube We are still trying to sort things out on the naming of these semi-green flowered cherries, so I'm including a few more photos. 'Ukon' (or 'Ukon'-'Asagi') The parent of this tree had the name "Not-a-Ukon" for quite a while. 'Gyoiko' The parent of this 'Gyoiko' is the only tree I thought we were calling by that name, but Douglas said in the video that it's on our streets as well, naming one of several locations that scouts have posted with the suggestion that they should get that name as well. So, here are more photos of that. It has a few more flowers open today, but I'm not convinced that all the buds are going to open. It seems very constricted. Prunus maackii This Manchurian cherry, also called Amur cherry, had only buds last week. Today as I was leaving the garden, I noticed the flowers - not very showy little balls of many tiny flowers.
