This is Viburnum Bodnantense, apparently a cherry look-alike, as several people have reported them to me as cherries in bloom now. Have a look at all those stems coming out of the ground, where there would be a trunk if this were a cherry. And the little petals are fused into a single structure, whereas cherry blossom petals are separate. These viburnums also are very fragrant, and there no fragrant cherries in bloom now.
Re: Viburnum Bodnantense - not a cherry, tiny pink clusters, very early Fashioned Viburnum x bodnantense, as it is a hybrid species. Local stock is usually sold as the cultivar 'Dawn'.
Also starts blooming in late november/early december in the UK, I guess similar in Vancouver, and continues sporadically for three months or more. I don't think any cherries behave like this. It is the best shrub for winter fragrance I have encountered.
Except for the pink popcorn on bare branches look and the bark lenticels there is really little resemblance to Japanese flowering cherries. Maybe there needs to additional emphasis placed on observing anatomical features within the circle of people making cherry reports.
I hate to disagree, as I love this viburnum (and to take this thread sideways), but in my experience, Lonicera x purpusii, which blooms at approximately the same time, has more delicious smelling flowers. Few people seem to know it (it is unfortunately a "wild" growing shrub), but once they smell its flowers, it's the hands down favourite.
As we have gone sideways...! I love Viburnum x Bodnantense and Lonicera x purpusii, we grow both. But for fragrance in the winter in UK, Daphnes beat these 2 hands down. You can smell it from 20-30ft away. Flowering at the same time as the others mentioned.
Ah, I assume you must be talking about the sublimely fragrant Daphne odora. I wish it didn't damage so easily in the cold. I certainly agree that at a distance, D. odora is wonderful. In any case, I still have to disagree. My criterion is a flowering branch in a vase indoors. If I can stand to be in the same room for an hour (V. x bodnantense—no, Sarcococca—no, Daphne odora—no, Osmanthus heterophyllus—maybe, Azara microphylla—maybe, Chimonanthus praecox—no), then it gets my vote. I find a lot of winter flowering shrubs are bit too cloying at close quarters. On the other hand, I wouldn't be without any of them. Three cheers for winter flowering plants.
While Lonicera x purpusii is said to be the best of the three what we usually see on the market down here is L. fragrantissima , and to a lesser extent L. standishii. I see Hill/Narizny, The Plant Locator - Western Region (2004, Black-Eyed Susans/Timber) do give some sources for L. x purpusii, including a couple for the RHS Award of Garden Merit form 'Winter Beauty'. I should try to track that last one down and get it for myself! In parts of the eastern US L. fragrantissima and maybe another of these are listed as noxious weeds - yet another of multiple east Asian origin garden plants that have found similar environmental conditions too much to their liking.
Have a plant that came from "The Shop in the Garden" at UBC some years ago, though I can't remember if it was propagated on site or came from one of their suppliers.
Not familiar with the Lonicera x purpusii, will have to keep an eye (or nostril) out for it. The Daphne is a bit much for me though. Perhaps I should have said Viburnum x bodnantense is my favourite fragrant winter shrub, rather than the best for winter fragrance, didn't mean to send the thread off topic. Will have to try a branch or two inside, my mother has two different 50+ year old clones (or maybe one is V. farreri?) outside her front door, she should be able to spare some wood. Hear, hear. The winter aconites are looking good here now.
