Re: West End, Stanley Park Cherry Scout Hiromi Akutsu has sent me this Whitcomb photo from Nicola Mini-park, was that just yesterday? The snow is all gone now around here. I met Hiromi under a cherry tree last year.
Accolades - West End, Beach Ave at Thurlow With just a few blossoms so far are two accolades at the Aquatic Centre on Beach Ave at Thurlow, and across the street, on Beach and Thurlow, an apartment building is bordered on both streets by what should be fine display of Accolades. Note that at the Aquatic Centre, to the left of the two Accolades, is half a Whitcomb, at least until the Parks Board removes it. It's blooming slightly ahead of the Accolades, but its blossoms got hit by the frost, so they're not showing much colour. The marker on the right is for the Autumnalis Rosea on Pacific in front of the Pacific Heights Co-op, which are not worth a visit and don't seem that they will be worth a visit any more this year.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Thanks, truck driver, for caring (not!) about our last year's festival favourite Whitcombs on Haro at Thurlow. These are looking quite good now, and in fact look better than any other West End Whitcombs I've seen. I doubt I'm going to have any reason to post photos of the trees on Nelson - the trees are noticeable but not exciting this year. See Douglas's Blog March 23 for his comments about the early cherries. [Edited by wcutler 2012feb22:]I guess it doesn't matter about the truck driver's disregard for the trees. They were removed last year.
Re: Accolades - West End, Beach Ave at Thurlow Only a few more blossoms, and an impression of pink. Not good for photos yet. So why am I posting them? I need photos for the festival website. And we can use a record of how long it takes from one stage to the next.
Pendula - West End, Thurlow at Barclay The Pendulas arrive in the West End before the Akebonos, and just around the same time as the Accolades. I finally remembered to try to give the botanical name, but I can't do it for these, in spite of Ron B's and Douglas's discussion in three postings last year. These trees that belong to an apartment building are on Thurlow St, on the northwest corner of Barclay. Up Thurlow and across Bute, there's a much larger quite nice Pendula that's not yet open at all (no marker for it on the map). The dark blue marker on the map on Haro is the site of two Whitcombs in bloom now that were favourites last year, and the turquoise marker to the right is the location of one of last year's favourite Akebonos. Last year I thought these were different cultivars, some white and some pink. This first one (starting from the north on Thurlow this year) I could have sworn last year was white (see last year's photos, last tree pictured, in which I said they were white), but it's very likely the same tree! The one next to it is a deeper pink. Here's the one on the corner. To the right, you can see another that has not opened at all, which will be a double, 'Yae-beni-shidare'. These are not exactly well-cared-for trees. On the side of the building, only one of the trees has the grafted cultivar remaining, but it too has a lot of the Avium rootstock growing above the Pendula branches.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Nicola mini-park (at Pendrell) Whitcombs have not done well this year. They opened too early and got hit by the frost and snow. The Autumnalis rosea fared even worse, though there are some blossoms coming out now. The way these Whitcomb blossoms form part of the decoration of this balcony appeals to me. Also the blue sky appeals to me, though it was cold today with all that wind, and the temperature was under 10 degrees Celsius. It only looks like spring.
Re: Pendula - West End, Thurlow at Barclay If you use the new Ornamental Cherries in Vancouver guidebook as the basis for naming then the second, darker one would be the 'Beni-shidare'.
Re: Accolades - West End, Beach Ave at Thurlow This group of Accolades across from the Aquatic Centre is definitely ahead of any others of this cultivar in the city. The accolades at Chilco mini-park, also in the West End, a festival favourite last year, are hardly open at all. The ones here have nice colour now, and there are still enough buds on the trees to give blossom photos a lot of colour variation. Definitely worth a visit now.
Re: West End, Stanley Park This Prunus pendula 'Beni-shidare' on Beach Avenue at Bidwell at Alexandra Park has been a festival favourite. It's a bit behind this year's favourite Pendulas in the West End on Thurlow, and not many of the blossoms are really open yet. But they open quickly, and I think I remember complaining that they don't really open up all the way, so it will be worth a visit quite soon. Other trees to see in the West End are still the Whitcombs at Haro and Bute, a Whitcomb at Coal Harbour at the north end of Denman (well, it's not that exciting - this is more telling you what it is rather than suggesting you go see it), two Accolades in front of an apartment building on Burnaby St east of Broughton, and a sweet little Accolade on Jervis south of Nelson on the west side of the street. I thought it looked ratty in previous years, but it's coming along nicely, or maybe I was just so happy to see some colour. The Accolades in Chilco mini-park are hardly blooming at all yet. There are a few blossoms on the Autumnalis Rosea on the right side of the hostel on Burnaby St at Bute, and they're much larger blossoms now, almost Accolade size, but they are very sparce. There are now a zillion plums lining the West End streets, and I just noticed their fragrance yesterday. The blireiana double pink plums are looking good now, particularly the one on Bute St south of Haro.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Here's the first Akebono I've seen. Just one branch, on the tree closest to the warmth of the apartment building at the corner of Geogia and Bute. I know it's an Akebona becuase it was last year and I did see a staminode!! There is also a lovely group of Pendulas on the corner of Thurlow and Barclay.
Re: West End, Stanley Park And today, while the Akebonons are really showing off, the very first blooms of the Shirotae on the plaza on Bute, between Alberni and the lane north of Robson, showed its first blooms. Couldn't smell the almonds! [Edited by wcutler 2010mar3]: a building has replaced the two Shirotae that were here.
West End, Stanley Park - Beautiful Accolades Beautiful Accolades Last Sunday (April 5, 2009), I had a chance to visit the beautiful Accolades on Beach + Thurlow across from the Aquatic Centre. They were in full bloom! I was awestruck by the amazing sight! I hope you will all enjoy the pictures, as I did.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Whitcombs During my mini-excursion in the West-End neighborhood on Sunday, April 5, 2009, I came across several Whitcombs in bloom. I was a little late because most blossoms have bloomed and only a few were left on the branches, but I am happy that I didn't miss the boat. Here they are:
Re: West End, Stanley Park Pendula Pendulas don't give me the 'wow' effect that Accolades and Akebonos do, but they are still nice and colorful. Here is one in the corner of Thurlow + Barclay:
Re: West End, Stanley Park On April 10, You can find one Yae-beni-shidare among Pendula at Thurlow St. and Barclay St.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Mystery tree (which looks like a Somei-Yoshino to me), behind the Parks Board office, in Stanley Park: [edited by wcutler 2012apr4]: it's 'Pandora'. [edited by wcutler 2023]: it was removed a few years later. ... and this Takasago identified by Wendy at Gilford and Comox: Laura 3:)
Re: West End, Stanley Park 'Umbrella' is still unidentified in the What cherry? Single white blossoms, mid-season, pendulous in the Cultivar IDs forum. It's just coming into bloom, with this tree in the shade ahead of the other, and on this one, the shady side is more in bloom than the sunny side. All the other pendulous cherries in the west end are in full bloom now.
Re: West End, Stanley Park A week ago, in the Favourites forum, talking about the Aquatic Centre Accolades, I mentioned that these Accolades at Chilco minipark at Comox were hardly open at all. Today, they're on their way out. In the third photo, some of the blossoms have lost so many petals that they look like single blossoms. The Autumnal Rosea that have looked totally dead since the snow and freezing weather, have more blossoms than ever now, and bigger clusters of blossoms, and the flowers are larger. It would be a lot harder to tell whether they were Accolades or Autumnals Rosea just by photos of the blossoms. But the trees still look terrible. I'll bet Douglas has never been moved by the beauty of any "deliciously double pink flowers" on an Autumnals Rosea (see his comments on Accolades in his April 12 Blog).
Re: West End, Stanley Park Lots of stuff in bloom now. Ranchos everywhere, including Stanley Park, are fully out. But the Davie Street ones both ways from Burrard have leaves quite open now, so they're looking a little rusty. It seems an even worse colour combination than on Kanzans. Spires seem to be looking good this year. These at the gas station at Burrard and Davie have been cleaned up, except for that Avium limb. This combination of street trees outside my old building on Comox at Cardero is bizarre - a Takasago, a Spire and a Shirofugen. It should be the sublime to the ridiculous, but the Spire is looking pretty good for Spire, and the Takasago is looking quite bad. Here's what I'm guessing is the first Mikuruma-gaeshi in bloom in the city - they just popped open today. These are on a great block with lots of different cherries on Pendrell between Bute and Thurlow (festival favourite Shogetsu and Shirofugen will appear on this block in a few weeks). The third photo is a nice little allee of Akebonos on the same block. The Uminekos are looking nice now - this is that planting on Pendrell at Cardero with an upright Shirotae between two Uminekos. And finally, a group of Yae-beni-shidare in front of a condo building on Burnaby St west of Thurlow, north side. I can't wait for these to grow up. I hope they do grow up. All Akebonos in the West End are open; Stanley Park ones should be another week. We found one open blossom for Bill Stephen's Talk and Walk yesterday at the Rose Garden. But two open Shirotae blossoms at the Japanese Memorial.
Ojochin - Stanley Park, at Japanese Memorial The Prunus 'Sato-zakura Group 'Ojochin' in Stanley Park right next to the Japanese Memorial is just starting to open on April 20, 2009. The blossoms are large single or semi-doubles, with buds paler than Mikuruma-gaeshi, which I mistook it for last year. The Ojochin is at the pink pushpin. The green marker is a row of Shirotae leading down to the Ojochin. In my next posting, I'll talk about that and several other cherries you can see in bloom on your way to the Ojochin this year.
Re: Ojochin - Stanley Park, at Japanese Memorial There are so many cherries in bloom right now that you normally never get to see in bloom at the same time. Here's a tour from Haro and Chilco in the West End over to the Ojochin at the Japanese Memorial. The block of Haro east of Chilco will within days from now (April 20) have a great display of Kanzans, that continues up Haro for blocks. In the middle of the block on the north side is a stand of Cedars that looks a bit unusual for street trees. Just west of the cedars is a little Kiku-shidare-zakura with very complex chrysanthemum-like blossoms. On the south-west corner, behind a low hedge, is what we're still calling "umbrella' for want of a real name. This pendulous little shrub-looking tree blooms after the other white pendulas in the west end, and has what always seems to me to be tough-looking flowers. [edited by wcutler June 21, 2011]: we're calling it 'Sendai-shidare'. The block west from Chilco has three Mikuruma-gaeshi trees in full bloom, looking quite nice. Down to the lagoon now, to see three Autumnalis Rosea trees, with their sparse blooms returning a bit larger than last November. Nearby are two beautiful Shirotae. To the Rose Garden - finally these Akebonos are in bloom. These should really be a festival favourite every year, but I say that about 15 other Akebono locations too. The setting is just amazing. If you don't want to do the whole walk up to here, it would be so worth starting here. I almost forgot the Takasagos. On Rose Garden Lane, at the end of the rose garden, there are four of these trees. The first pictured is on Pipeline Road, just past the path, and it looks nothing like Takasagos I as I know them, but that's what we decided it is last year. For one thing, it's not all that diseased, though there is some brown rot at the top. It probably has the only healthy Takasago branches in the city. The other three trees look more like Takasago as I know them, disease and all. They're along the footpath that leads to Malkin Bowl. Still amazing, is that the Shirotae at the Japanese Memorial are in bloom at the same time as the Akebonos. From the Rose Garden, head past Malkin Bowl, noting the tall narrow Rancho cherries just behind the theatre (blossoms almost finished now, but still some, mostly at the top), go along the Dining Pavilion to the bus area in back, and at the sign pictured below, look for a little wooden bridge sort-of between the directions those two pointers on the right indicate. Take the bridge and be bowled over by the double row of Shirotae so fragrant. These should really be a festival favourite every year. That's Diane and Franco, on their way home to Hawaii. I don't know much more about them, but they were wearing the right colours for the photo ("no strangers under the cherry tree"). The Ojochin that this thread is really supposed to be about (see first posting) is just across the path at the end of this allee, on the other side of two or three Akebonos. On your way back, if you go to see the heronry at the Park Board office on Beach Avenue, you can go past a sweet Atsumori cherry on Lagoon Drive a bit north of the entrance to the Pitch and Putt. (Sorry, ignore the spelling in the photo names). Note the size of the little double blossoms.
Re: Ojochin - Stanley Park, at Japanese Memorial One day later, the Ojochin has many more blossoms open. Such a nice warm day, finally. A good day for picnicking under the Shirotae grove nearby.
Re: West End, Stanley Park We didn't manage to have a real Yae-beni-shidare favourite this year, so here's a candidate on Bute at Barclay, still in bloom on April 21.
Shogetsu and Shirofugen - West End, Pendrell west of Thurlow In the middle of the block on Pendrell west of Thurlow, south side of the street, are two trees close enough to study how they differ. The tree closer to Thurlow is Prunus Sato-zakura Group 'Shogetsu'; the other is Prunus Sato-zakura Group 'Shiro-fugen'. They're both still in bud, but should open this week. While the leaves are just emerging, the Shogetsu has a green appearance while the Shirofugen has a pinky-brown appearance. This is a great block for cherries. The Akebonos have finished across the street from the Shogetsu and Shirofugen, but there are 11 Mikuruma-gaeshi on this block still looking good. These mostly have huge single pink blossoms, but sometimes the blossoms are doubles. These in the third photo have the odd staminode here or there, but they're not really that double. There's also the world's most beautiful Kanzan on the corner of Thurlow, which is just coming out on April 22. Here's the map.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Takasagos are looking very striking in the West End now, until you get up close to them, though the ones on Cardero between Comox and Barclay are not looking as blighted as those elsewhere in the city. The last photo shows two Takasagos on Cardero and a Mikuruma-gaeshi around the corner on Barclay. There are five Mikuruma-gaeshis west of Cardero on Barclay (and about 11 of them on Pendrell west of Thurlow, on the block with the Festival Favourite Shogetsu and Shirofugens). This year the Mikuruma-gaeshis replaced Ichiyo as my favourite cherry. Until I saw the Ichiyos in bloom today. Maybe they're still my favourite cherry. Certainly the ones in the west end are nice healthy looking trees. These are on Cardero, just south of Davie, on an apartment building property. These trees are easily visible from the lane south of Barclay, east of Cardero. These forbidden beauties are in the back yard of a building, visible from the lane south of Nelson, east of Cardero, or from the back of the firehall at Nicola.