Poor Strathcona gets very little attention. This is a good time to visit. The 'Shiro-fugen' cherries wrapping the corner at Union and Gore that last year were just opening on May 1 (look at how bronze the leaves are in last year's posting two above this one) are past peak bloom on April 20, with some flowers starting to turn pink. The block of 'Kanzan' a block to the east on Union still looks impressive.
The bloom on the 'Accolade' trees running along E. Pender for three blocks from Princess to Campbell looks a bit skimpy and tired this year. The blossoms are already falling, in the complete flower dropping of 'Accolade' at March 1, 2026.
@Nadia White Rock added these 'Akebono' at Gore and Union to our map in 2013, when they were younger and not in bloom; they were not at the time so impressive in a photo. Tom Szymanski posted a link on gmaps to it as a submission to our festival map, so I am copying it here so that I can show it on our map.
This pair of mature Akebono are competition to the Capture Photography Festival billboard exhibits along East Hastings from Hawks to Woodland.
New Forum user @idove, who has no posting authority, has sent these photos of 'Kanzan' just coming into bloom on both sides of Vernon between E Pender and E Hastings.
