Category: Photos

Accolade on Halifax (Burnaby)

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Post date March 3, 2013
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Have you seen the first signs of spring in your neighborhood yet?

Last week, during a bus ride onboard #136, I noticed a bit of pink in a tree on Halifax street (corner of Kensington) in Burnaby. Today was a sunny day so I decided to go investigate (first rule of cherry blossom viewing: if it’s sunny, you HAVE to go out and take pictures!).

At first, the tree didn’t look like much:

But as I got closer, I noticed the pink blossoms here and there:

There were lots of buds on this Accolade cherry tree and the blossoms were blooming earlier than usual:

I was there at around 12.30pm. The sun was high and it was perfect to take some close-ups.

All the pictures on this post were taken today at 12.30pm on Halifax street, corner Kensington, in Burnaby.

Check out the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival interactive map to find cherry blossoms in your area and see what’s blooming now.

Tags Accolade cherry blossoms, Burnaby

Photos

Crazy for cherry blossoms!

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Post date February 20, 2013
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After five years of cherry blossom viewing in Vancouver, I’ve learned two things:

cherry blossoms don’t last
sunny days are rare.

So if you’re lucky enough to have both sunshine AND cherry blossoms, you just have to pick up your camera and go because it’s a scientific fact that cherry blossoms won’t wait for you and the next day will (probably) be overcast.

Yesterday I picked up my camera to visit the Accolade cherry tree on Richards (corner Robson) for the third time. This Accolade tree (which is blooming exceptionally early) is doing well.

As some petals fall gently with the breeze, new blossoms are opening. It is not fully bloomed yet.

The cherry tree is surrounded by tall buildings in Downtown Vancouver so the tree will be in the shade for most of the day. The best time to go is between 3.00-4.00 when the sun shines directly on the tree from down the street. (All these pictures were taken between 3.15-3.30pm.)

As I was taking picture, a passerby shouted: “YEAH! SPRING!”

So get out there Vancouver and say hello to spring! (We’re lucky to have cherry blossom blooming so early this season!)

Tags Accolade cherry blossoms, cherry tree, vancouver

Photos

Whitcomb in the West End

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Post date February 17, 2013

Wendy Cutler broke the good news that “The ‘Whitcomb’ cherries are OPEN in the West End and they’re looking excellent. These are spring cherry blossoms. They were open around this time last year, and that turned out to be a late-blooming year. We really can’t predict what the timing will be later in the season based on the blooming time of these early ones.”

Check out our Festival map to see what’s blooming now.

Whitcomb cherry blossoms in Vancouver's West End. — Whitcomb cherry blossoms in Vancouver’s West End (Photo: Wendy Cutler)

Tags Whitcom cherry blossoms

Photos

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden

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Post date February 17, 2013
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Did you enjoyed the Chinese New Year parade in Vancouver today? On your way there, if you took a few minutes to stroll through the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden, you might have noticed this beautiful cherry tree right next to the entrance. With red lanterns suspended in the garden, it was quite beautiful. The tree is in the public part of the garden so the entrance is free.

Here are pictures taken today:

Tags automnalis rosea, cherry blossoms, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden

Photos

Autumnalis Rosea (Lost Lagoon)

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Post date February 10, 2013
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Wendy Cutler intrigued me with the photo of an Autumnalis Rosea (a winter blooming cherry tree) that she shared with us on January 13. The picture showed a small tree with tiny pink blossoms near the completely frozen lagoon. Brrr!

I’ve never seen an Autumnalis Rosea cherry tree, so I decided to go take a look today.

Autumnalis Rosea, may not be as spectacular as other cultivars – the petals look a bit messy, often appearing twisted, and the branches are twiggy and untidy – but I found them really charming and worth a visit.

Location: West End/Stanley Park – Lost Lagoon near daycare, 3 trees.

Here are some pictures taken today:

Tags A, Autumnalis rosea, cherry blossoms, cherry tree, vancouver

Photos

Accolade on Richards (corner Robson)

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Post date February 10, 2013
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Today I took advantage of the sunny weather to check up again on Vancouver’s first blooming Accolade cherry tree on Richards street (corner Robson), right across the coffee shop.

There are lots more blossoms than when I first reported on the tree on January 21 2013.

I was hoping this tree would mean an early cherry blossom season. However, besides a couple of Autumnalis Rosea blooming near Lost Lagoon, I haven’t seen much blossoms in the city yet. This Accolade was exceptionally early and is giving us a nice taste of spring.

Tags Accolade cherry blossoms, vancouver

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Cherry Blossom Pin

Every year, I have a ritual: after seeing the first cherry blossoms, I put on my cherry blossom pin and I don’t take it off until the last blossoms have fallen (which is usually mid-May). It’s just my way of celebrating spring.

January is probably the earliest time I ever wore the pin. It’s really nice to have a touch of color on my dark coat.

Let’s hope more blossoms will come soon. The fog seems to have taken over the city these days.

Interested in the pin? The VCBF cherry blossom pin will be on sale sale at the Cherry Jam and, very soon, at the VanDusen Garden Shop.

Tags cherry blossom lapel pin, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival pin, VCBF lapel pin, VCBF pin

Photos

First Accolade (Richards and Robson)

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Post date January 21, 2013
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The rumors are true. There’s an Accolade cherry tree blossoming in January! The tree is located on Richards street (corner Robson) right across from the Starbucks. Here are pictures I took this morning.

Tip: to find out where you can find Accolades cherry trees in Vancouver, check out the VCBF Cherry Blossom Viewing map.

Tags Accolade cherry blossoms, Vancouver cherry blossoms

Photos

First Accolade

Are these big news – these ‘Accolade’ blossoms on Richards south of Robson? Apparently they are – CBC radio called Douglas Justice downtown to interview him about them. The interview should be on The Early Edition on Monday, January 21, some time between 5am and 9am. Photo taken on Richards street south of Robson, across from Starbucks.