Category: Photos

Yesterday’s news – 2023 International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition

Post author By Wendy Cutler
Post date April 9, 2023

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230405_IMG_4005

International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition

The 2023 Second International Cherry Blossom Predition Competition closed on February 28. Vancouver’s location for the competition is again the ‘Akebono’ trees in Maple Grove Park, at the corner of SW Marine Drive and Yew Street. The overall consensus for the blooming date for these trees in 2023 is April 5. On March 20, the Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition’s Jonathan L. Auerbach spoke with CBC Radio’s Gloria Macarenko about trying to figure out when the Instagram-worthy blossoms will appear. Here is the 6-minute interview: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-46-on-the-coast/clip/15973390-what-day-think-cherry-blossoms-bloom-year.

Douglas Justice, Associate Director, Horticulture & Collections at UBC Botanical Garden, and Wendy Cutler, VCBF Cherry Scout Co-ordinator, have begun following the blooming progress of these trees; Douglas will report the “official” peak bloom date for this location for this year.

‘Akebono’ cherries in Maple Grove Park, buds not more than starting to open on March 16. Photos by Wendy Cutler.

‘Akebono’ cherries in Maple Grove Park, pink buds are evident on March 21. Photos on this date by Wendy Cutler.

One of the three large trees at Maple Grove Park. There is a fourth younger tree in this group; the bloom date of the flowers on that tree are not being considered for the competition.

‘Akebono’ cherries in Maple Grove Park, pink buds are evident on March 21.

Two days later, March 23, cooler than 10C degrees and partly rainy. Still, there is some reddening of the overall tree colour with advancing bud development.

March 23 – Some buds have started to swell, but others not yet. Pedicels (flower stems) are starting to be visible, are less than 1cm.

March 23 – These are the only open flowers on any of the trees.

Another two days have elapsed, but not much development has occurred. These are still the only open flowers. The weather was better, but a little below 10C degrees.

March 23, it’s hard to judge the the overall colour compared to what it was when the weather was so dreary two days ago.

March 23, more of the pedicels were approaching 1 cm.

Here are photos from Douglas Justice taken on March 27. I think the first one features the same two flower clusters as just above. It was below 10C degrees in the intervening days, and little progress has been made.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230327_IMG_3939

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230327_IMG_3940

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230327_IMG_3936

Douglas Justice’s March 29 photos show a little more blooming progression, and another area with some open flowers. These two days had temperatures a few degrees above 10C.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230329_IMG_3941

Pedicels in this photo have definitely elongated, are 1-2 cm, buds are a lighter pink shade.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230329_IMG_3942

April 1 – there are enough open flowers to offer nice photos. But, we’re not even at 25% open. The photos are by Wendy Cutler.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230401_170513

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230401_170704

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230401_165609

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230401_170748

April 4 – the advancement in blooming is noticeable now in Douglas Justice’s photos compared with three days ago. It’s been cold (below 10C degrees) but progress is now inexorable.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230404_IMG_3999

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230404_IMG_3995

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230404_IMG_3992

April 5 – not much sun today, wind bringing in the predicted rain for the next few days.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230405_IMG_4002

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230405_IMG_4003

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230405_IMG_4004

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_DouglasJustice_20230405_IMG_4005

April 7 – surely far more than half these flowers are open. Our spec for “peak bloom” is 70% open. Douglas Justice has now called it – peak bloom on April 7. Wendy Cutler got to photograph them.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230407_185307

A sunny moment on the trees complete changes the colour in photos. This is the same photoshoot as the previous photo.

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230407_185847

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230407_185335

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230407_185455

Akebono_MapleGrovePark_Cutler_20230407_185742

You can find last year’s photos at https://vcbf.ca/2022-cherry-blossom-prediction-competition/.

Tags Akebono cherry trees

Photos

Yesterday’s news – ‘Pandora’

Post author By Wendy Cutler
Post date April 9, 2023

20230407_Pandora_E27Quebec_Eng_7581

April 6, 2023. We have not yet featured ‘Pandora’, an early season bloomer with white flowers. The petals on these are almost twice as long as they are wide, so they do not overlap. That is a distinctive feature on these goblet-shaped trees. Thanks to Anne Eng for this photo.

20230407_Pandora_E27Quebec_Eng_7581

You can find blossom photos featured here at Blog – Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (vcbf.ca).

Tags Pandora cherry blossoms

Photos

Yesterday’s news – pendulous (weeping) trees, pink and white

Post author By Wendy Cutler
Post date April 6, 2023

20230401-SylvanDrECherylAnnParRd-Beni-shidare-Willard-IMG_1625

April 3, 2023. In the previous posting, we have featured single white blossoms that can be seen around town now, or coming soon. You can find the most recent posting at Yesterday’s news – single white flowers – Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (vcbf.ca). Today we feature two similar weeping trees, one a white one not shown yesterday, and the other the same species but a pink cultivar that we have featured here before. Thanks to Shirley Willard for both photos.

Both these trees with a pendulous (weeping) shape have the botanical name Prunus itosakura Pendula Group. This does not seem to be a registered cultivar, so we are calling it ito-zakura, meaning thread cherry, as it is known in Japan. It is not all that common in the wild, but it is available from landscaping suppliers in white or light pink.

20230331 MedusaWOceanview Ito-zakura Willard IMG_1548

Much more widely planted is the Prunus itosakura cultivar ‘Beni-shidare’, also called ‘Pendula Rosea’, with its showy deep-pink flowers.

20230401 SylvanDrECherylAnnParRd Beni-shidare Willard IMG_1625

Tags Vancouver cherry trees

Photos

Yesterday’s news – single white flowers

Post author By Wendy Cutler
Post date April 3, 2023
No Comments on Yesterday’s news – single white flowers

20230339_Snofozam_VanDusenGrtLawn_Eng_7549

March 31, 2023. In the past two postings, we have featured pink blossoms that can be seen around town now, or coming soon. You can find the most recent posting at Yesterday’s news – pink blossoms – Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (vcbf.ca. Today we feature white flowers.

We think ‘Fudan-zakura’ cherries start blooming in late winter – we only knew one location and haven’t been able to follow it much. But a cherry scout has just convinced us that a group of trees in Arbutus Ridge, unidentifed since 2007, are this cultivar. This photo, though, was taken by Shirley Willard at the tree in Hastings-Sunrise that we’ve known for several years.

20230319 WNanaimo Fudan-zakura Willard IMG_0842

These Little Twist® flowers, photographed by new Cherry Scout Marg Kitso in Langdale, may look similar to the ones above, but the trees look very, well, twisty. This is also found by the name ‘Kojo-no-mai’, which means “flight of the butterflies”.

LIttleTwist_LangdaleFerryTerminal_MargKitso_20230320_image1

Anne Eng photographed the ‘Snofozam’ flowers below at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Again, similar flowers to the ones above, but on very weeping trees.

20230339_Snofozam_VanDusenGrtLawn_Eng_7549

Just opening now are ‘Sendai-shidare’, another weeping tree that we have trouble distinguishing from ‘Snofozam’ pictured above. They look very different here. Maybe these two photos will help us; particularly notice the long narrow sepals below, the emerging leaves, and the greener calyces. This photo is from Shirley Willard, taken in the West End.

20230329 ComoxEChilco Sendai-shidare Willard IMG_1486

Photos Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Yesterday’s news – single pink blossoms

Post author By Wendy Cutler
Post date March 30, 2023
No Comments on Yesterday’s news – single pink blossoms

IMG_7297-Shosar-Minoru-Lansdowne_Yong_20230329

March 29, 2023. Yesterday we featured quite small single pink ‘Okame’ flowers, notable for their red calyx tubes and red stamens (You can find this posting in the blog at Yesterday’s news – ‘Okame’ – Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (vcbf.ca)). Here are single pink blossoms from four more cultivars that are in bloom around town now.

‘Whitcomb’ cherries have been out for a while, are a widely-planted early-blooming cherry and have been featured here before. Anne Eng photographed these at VanDusen Botanical Garden, where the micro-climate is cooler than most places in and around Vancouver, so they are still looking fresh.

20230329_Whitcomb_VanDusenRhodoWalk_Eng_7544

Tan Yong Hui photographed these rare-to-the-area ‘Shosar’ blossoms at Minoru and Landsdowne in Richmond. The shape and colour of the calyx tube helps to distinguish these cultivars from each other.

IMG_7297 – Shosar Minoru Lansdowne_Yong_20230329

Here is ‘Beni-shidare’, photo from Gibsons by Shirley Willard. The name means “pink weeping”, which pretty much gives it away – single pink flowers on drooping branches. Locally, the esthetic seems to be to prune these heavily so you can see under them, but they are most beautiful when the branches are allowed to cascade to the ground. These are popular landscape trees, and there is a large collection of them at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

20230324 DolphinInlet Beni-shidare Willard IMG_1161

The ‘Stellata’ or Star Cherry’s distinctive characteristic are the rolled edges of the flowers, making them look like little stars. These also have red calyces, making the trees seem more noticeably red than they are. Once the flowers open, they are a very pale pinky-white. Tan Yong Hui took this photo of flowers emerging at Vanier Park.

IMG_3195 – Star Cherry HR MacMillan Space Centre_Yong_20230329

Tags Beni-shidare blossoms, Shosar blossoms, Shosar cherry blossoms, Star Cherry blossoms, whitcomb cherry blossoms

Photos

Shosar

Post author By Carina Saechiu
Post date March 26, 2022

20220326_Shosar_SherbanHoldom_Eng_6486

Anne Eng, VCBF Cherry Scout, introduces us to Shosar cherry trees on the UBC Neighborhood Blog for Burnaby:

The two trees of ‘Shosar’ are in full bloom on the south side of Sherban Crescent, east of Holdom, at March 26, 2022.
Bright “cerise” pink flowers with red sepals and calyxes, and veins on the petals.
Anne Eng, VCBF Cherry Scout

Photo: Anne Eng.

Tags Ann Eng, Burnaby, Holdom, Sherban Crescent, Shosar cherry blossoms, Shosar cherry trees, Vancouver cherry blossoms

Photos

Akebono at Coal Harbour

Post author By Carina Saechiu
Post date March 24, 2022

Nice curve of Akebono along the seawall at Coal Harbor this morning. Many people out taking photos by them!
Lisa L. on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums Blog for Downtown

Photo: Lisa L.

Tags Akebono cherry blossoms, Akebono cherry trees, Coal Harbour, Vancouver cherry blossoms

Photos Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

The Indicator Tree

Post author By Carina Saechiu
Post date March 24, 2022

Many cherry blossom festivals have selected a special tree to serve as an “index tree” (Tokyo) or “indicator tree” (Washington D.C.) When over 70% of its flowers are in bloom, they declare that cherry trees are officially in bloom in the city.

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival does not have an official indicator tree so, for the purpose of the First International Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition, the Akebono trees in Maple Grove Park, at the corner of SW Marine Drive and Yew Street, were designated as the Vancouver location. In a way, these trees will serve as our first indicator trees.

Douglas Justice is monitoring the trees and will declare their official blooming date. Stay tuned for the big reveal.

Photo: Douglas Justice.

Tags Akebono cherry trees, Index tree, Indicator tree, Maple Grove, Marine Drive, Tokyo, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Vancouver cherry blossoms, Washington D.C., Yew

Photos

Akebono at Burrard Skytrain Station

Post author By Carina Saechiu
Post date March 22, 2022

Akebono cherry trees at Burrard Skytrain Station are now ready for their closeups reports Wendy Cutler, VCBF Cherry Scout leader, on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums Blog for Downtown.