The 'Ojochin' cherry at the Japanese Canadian War Monument in Stanley Park has a few blossoms open today - not many, just a handful, but it had zero open yesterday so I imagine even more will be open this weekend.
This group of seven 'Shirotae' and one 'Ukon' at the Sutton Place Hotel is in bloom now, and the odd one out (the more yellow one) is clearly evident now, before the 'Ukon' will fade to a lighter colour. These trees actually appear to be in worse shape than the group across the street (in the Downtown) neighbourhood that are being so mercilessly pruned. These have been pruned plenty and the trunks are not looking so good.
The 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' that ran the length of Pendrell are all gone except for two areas - there are still nine of them on the best cherry block of Pendrell (maybe of the West End), the 1100 block, between Thurlow and Bute, and then west of Denman, there are three or four the first block, six the next block, and two on the last block. The ones pictured here are from the 1100 block. I figured I may as well include that fourth photo to show you what you really see. They're not as bad as the 'Takasago' on Comox St (or anywhere else), though, but the Parks Board so far hasn't touched them. I thought maybe I'd been hasty the other day in declaring my undying love for 'Afterglow' (in Kitsilano), when really it's all about 'Mikuruma-gaeshi' for me, but then I saw these 'Ichiyo' coming into bloom, and they're pretty great. They don't sit still for photographs very well, though. There's an allée of 'Akebono' that leads back to this community garden in the lane between Pendrell and Comox, Thurlow to Bute, with a few more 'Akebono' at the back of the houses.
Two new finds today on the festival West End / Stanley Park walk. Three 'Shirotae' on the south side of Georgia just west of Denman. And another Birch Bark Cherry in the park, across from the tennis courts near the heronry at the Parks Board office. I go there all the time, cannot believe that tree has been there all along. It's not in bloom yet. It's a lot shorter than the others I know of in the park.
Amanogawa During the cherry walk in downtown lead by Wendy, we saw quite a few Amanogawa in full bloom. 3 trees stand by Tea Merchants on Georgia St (not far from Burrad Station). and 12+ along Alberni and four gorgeous blooming trees on SE corner of Bute and Alberni (in front of a new tall building). Map:here
April 17, West End Shirotae near Lost Lagoon [edited by wcutler 2012apr21:] the two photos on the right were taken on the Rhody Path approaching the two 'Shirotae' near the maintenance yard gate. Just behind them is the 'Kizakura', not yet in bloom on the 17th.
Beautiful Ichiyo in bloom at Davie and Cardero and Wendy told me this beautiful single whites is a Korean Hill Cherry( on the same location) if I started to post this location, I decided to mention not ornamental but very beautiful and impressive cherry avium
This is a good weekend to visit Stanley Park. These are photos from Bill Stephen's Talk and Walk today. The 'Akebono' at the Rose Garden are past their peak but still looking fine, as are the 'Takasago' (not pictured) along Pipeline Road and the path to the Stanley Park Pavilion. At the Japanese Memorial, the 'Shirotae' are looking splendid (on the left), and the 'Ojochin' is looking beautiful as well. The 'Akebono' trees at this location are finished blooming.
This is a beautiful tree where Beach and Pacific join/split. The flowers ressemble Shogetsu but the shape of the tree doesn't seem right or similar to the photo in the handbook. Maybe it's an Avium Plena? The pigeons really like this tree too!
Kizakura The green cherry, Kizakura, by Lost Lagoon, is blooming beautifully now. 2015mar27, edited by wcutler: We have now decided this really is 'Gyoiko'.
First, re: Sue Wagner's question in posting #235, yes, it's avium 'Plena'. Second, the 'Hizakura' that Ding-ren posted on April 25 still looked pretty much the same on May 4. Third, still looking good is the 'Kiku-zakura' on Robson between Gilford and Chilco. It looks just like last year's photos in posting #211. It seems to be resisting photos this year, but the blossoms are very interesting and beautiful. The 'Amanogawa' on Lagoon Drive at Robson is past its prime but still has a lot of flowers. [edited]The 'Shujaku' near the Lost Lagoon bridge is past its prime, but still looks nice and pink. Now here are some photos of the 'Shirofugen' in the grove north of the Japanese Memorial, outside the Miniature Train loading area. They're at peak bloom right now. At the northeast corner of that grove, this sideways growing Prunus emarginata is still there and is in bloom now.
Since the last posting featured the 'Shirofugen' grove outside the (recentlly fire-destroyed) miniature railway station, I'll post a photo of what those trees looked like six weeks later, with a definitely visible smattering of blossoms. All but two of the trees at the Bayshore Hotel that I thought were 'Shogetsu' have turned out to have flowers that look just like the park trees above right now, so that would make them 'Shirofugen'. Even though two 'Shogetsu' trees near the entrance to the Starbucks have no flowers, I thought I'd go by the very nice 'Shogetsu' on the 1100 block of Pendrell to be sure that 'Shogetsu' trees do not have flowers now, and I was distressed to see how bad this tree looks. It's been providing such a great comparison of 'Shirofugen' and 'Shogetsu', and now it looks like it's a goner. Just for the record, on that block, there's a new 'Shirofugen' street tree on the south side, just west of the private 'Shirofugen'.
Happy new year, y'all. It just gets brighter from here, and the cherries will be doing it again this year. I've heard several reports of 'Autumnalis rosea' in bloom, and here they are at Lost Lagoon looking no worse than usual and in the lane at Thurlow north of Harwood, the second one not looking worse than others for being in a pot and pruned. But they're our signs of spring, so we manage to get excited anyway. Really, it's not just me. --------------- The Pendrell Street 'Shogetsu' is gone, was removed within a month of the previous posting.
In Douglas Justice's first version of our cherry guide, in his key, the first cut was for early season cherries, defined as "always some flowers produced before March 1st". That includes, in addition to the 'Autumnalis rosea' in the previous posting, 'Whitcomb' and 'Accolade', pictured here in that order. He could maybe have gone as far as to say "always some flowers to usher in the new year". These photos were taken January 3. If you want to know what kind of phone device to not use as a camera, just ask.
Is this an early year? Downtown (posting #140 and the few before that) has those early 'Accolade' blossoms, and here's a 'Whitcomb' on Nelson at Jervis with a lot more flowers than I've ever seen by January 28. It's only this tree, though. The one next to it is only half as far along, and the one down the block, same side of the street, has only some open flowers. What happens with these early trees doesn't seem to be much of a useful prediction for what's to come. Last year I mentioned that the Feb 10 'Whitcomb' blooming was early, yet it was overall a late year. This year is supposed to be normal, whatever that is. It should mean earlier than last year, but not early. For festival event timing, we could use a late year, but that's not supposed to happen. Jury's still out though. There could be a lot of weather to come.
Re: West End / Stanley Park - The season starts now! Here's my rule: if I can see colour on the trees two blocks away, they're open. The West End 'Whitcomb' are now in bloom. Nicola and Beach Nicola and Pendrell mini-park, and Pendrell at Gilford.
The West End 'Whitcomb' are fading faster than I was expecting, but it is three weeks since they came into bloom. I'll show them as in bloom on the festival map for another week, but it's getting late to get a photo with any good colour. This should be such a great setting for this one and a half 'Whitcomb', with the nice building they belong to, and English Bay across the street. This cultivar is only coming into bloom in most of the city. Here in the West End, 'Accolade' will be open soon. They're visible a block away now, but not good photos yet.
West end activity I'm in west end right now, and lots are blooming here. Some cherries that look like accolades are starting to bloom just east of Coast Plaza Suites & Hotel.
There's just something wonderful about seeing a 'Whitcomb' cherry on a cold, dark depressing day, even if it is only half a tree and the bark is all covered in English ivy. This was the tree I first reported on January 28, in full bloom on February 14, and now a month later, still looking fine. I thought the 'Whitcomb' in the West End were finished when I saw the Beach Ave one the other day in full sunshine with a lot of pale petals, but this one is still doing its job.
That 'Whitcomb' still looks good, and 'Accolade' are now in full bloom in the West End and in some other neighbourhoods as well. This photo of the ones across from the Aquatic Centre was taken from the Burrard Bridge. I don't know if the padlocks thing is the beginning of a new fad or what. Nothing to do with the cherries, but they were near to where I was photographing the 'Accolade' trees. That's English Bay, the West End to the right, the edge of Kitsilano to the left.
Re: Downtown 'Akebono' at Grosvenor Plaza on Alberni west of Burrard are open. The plaza is at the back of the Tea Merchant on Georgia, a location where you can purchase the festival's umbrella. [Edited by wcutler Aug 3, 2016: this group of trees has been removed for a building.] Other West End 'Akebono' are not open, but most have some open blossoms, so maybe four days away? In time for my Easter Parade with my walking group on Sunday - 100 people signed up so far. I hope they all wear their Easter Bonnets. There will be a few ukulele players to help me sing "Easter Parade" at the start.
Well, who knew we'd have a week of spring weather! Everything is open. 'Somei-yoshino', 'Akebono', 'Pandora', 'Umineko', 'Beni-shidare'. There are open flowers on 'Shirotae', 'Takasago' and 'Yae-beni-shidare'. I'm posting two locations not on my walk route tomorrow (128 people signed up now. Surely they won't all come. I'm thankful I'll have three or four Cherry Scout helper leaders). This is the group of four 'Yae-beni-shidare' on Burnaby St near Bute. In the winter they all look the same, and they probably are the same, but one is in bloom, and the other three are not in bloom. It's not uncommon that some trees progress faster than others, but it's so strange to have such an on/off difference in what would seem to be essentially the same location. Yesterday, the 'Rancho' that line Davie were not exactly a blaze of colour ('Rancho' not really doing "blaze of colour" very well), yet there were a lot of open flowers.
