Tree talks & walks
Live, in-person guided walks
Tree Talks & Walks are guided tours led by local experts that focus on not just the cherry tree but the other various trees that make up our urban ecosystem. It’s an opportunity to explore Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and parks, to better understand how our trees play a vital role in our city, and to learn about the history of the land we inhabit. We invite you to take a moment out of your day to pause and appreciate the natural beauty all around us.
Registration is required and limited spots are available for each walk.
Please take note of our updated Registration Policy for all Tree Talks and Walks, which has been implemented starting this year (2024).
Upcoming Events
Please review our registration policy before selecting your preferred walk. In addition, please kindly familiarize yourself with our refund and cancellation policy for any inquiries regarding cancellations or changes.
Update (March 12, 2024): Great news! Tree Talks and Walks at Sakura Days Japan Fair will be returning at VanDusen Botanical Garden this year. See more information below.
Tree Talks & Walks: Nitobe Memorial Garden
April 13, 2024 | 11:00AM – 12:30PM
Leader: Douglas Justice
Language of Instruction: English
Douglas’ walk will cover many of the dozen or so ornamental cherries planted at UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Garden. This traditional Japanese tea and stroll garden is the perfect setting to see cherry trees in bloom.
*UPDATE* Registration for this walk is now full.
Important note: Regular admission fees are required to visit Nitobe Memorial Garden. Check the UBC Botanical Garden website for details. Ticket registration is still required to participate in the Tree Talks and Walk at this location, however the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is not collecting additional fees to do so. Please ensure you have read our new registration policy before signing up for each walk. Limited spots available.
Tree Talks & Walks: Sakura Days Japan Fair
April 13, 2024 | See full schedule below.
Join us for Tree Talks and Walks as part of the Sakura Days Japan Fair at VanDusen Botanical Garden on April 13-14.
Please note that these tours are included with admission to Sakura Days Japan Fair, which must be purchased separately. No registration is required. Get tickets here!
Interested visitors can gather inside the garden entrance by the Tour Notice Board at the specified tour times. Led by knowledgeable VanDusen-background guides, these tours will offer cultural, historical, and botanical insights into VanDusen’s diverse collection of Sakura, planted across three main areas of the garden.
Discover over two dozen varieties of cherry trees, making VanDusen one of the premier destinations in Vancouver to experience a variety of cherry blossoms in one location.
Tour Schedule
| Time | Tour Leader |
| 11:00AM-12:00PM | Peter Wong |
| 11:30AM-12:30PM | Linda Jones |
| 12:00PM-1:00PM | Peter Wong |
| 12:30PM-1:30PM | Linda Jones |
| 1:00PM-2:00PM | Peter Wong |
| 2:00PM-3:00PM | Peter Wong |
| 2:30PM-3:30PM | Linda Jones |
| 3:30PM-4:30PM | Linda Jones |
Important note: Admission to Sakura Days Japan Fair is required for access to these Tree Talks and Walks, but no prior registration is necessary.
Tree Talks & Walks: Sakura Days Japan Fair
April 14, 2024 | See full schedule below.
Join us for Tree Talks and Walks as part of the Sakura Days Japan Fair at VanDusen Botanical Garden on April 13-14.
Please note that these tours are included with admission to Sakura Days Japan Fair, which must be purchased separately. No registration is required. Get tickets here!
Interested visitors can gather inside the garden entrance by the Tour Notice Board at the specified tour times. Led by knowledgeable VanDusen-background guides, these tours will offer cultural, historical, and botanical insights into VanDusen’s diverse collection of Sakura, planted across three main areas of the garden.
Discover over two dozen varieties of cherry trees, making VanDusen one of the premier destinations in Vancouver to experience a variety of cherry blossoms in one location.
Tour Schedule
| Time | Tour Leader |
| 11:00AM-12:30PM | Lisa Lennie |
| 11:30AM-12:30PM | Linda Jones |
| 1:30PM-2:30PM | Linda Jones |
| 2:00PM-3:30PM | Lisa Lennie |
| 2:30PM-3:30PM | Linda Jones |
Important note: Admission to Sakura Days Japan Fair is required for access to these Tree Talks and Walks, but no prior registration is necessary.
Tree Talks & Walks: Callister Park
April 20, 2024 | 1:00PM-2:30PM
Leader: Egan Davis
Language of Instruction: English
Explore Callister Park and the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood with Egan Davis and discover cherry trees and other tree species on this tour!
*UPDATE* Registration for this walk is now full.
Please ensure you have read our new registration policy before signing up for each walk. Limited spots available.
Do-It-Yourself and Virtual Tree Walks
If you’re not inclined to join us for the guided walks, the photos and videos below show featured sights from of some of our great walk locations. These photos and videos are from previous years. Dates, location and photographer names are in the photo names.
To see which cultivars are blooming near you, select the neighbourhood and dates you wish to visit on our Vancouver Cherry Blossoms Finder.
Haiku Walk from Joy Kogawa House in Marpole
Winnipeg poet Sally Ito would have led this walk as part of her author residency at Historic Joy Kogawa House. Unable to travel west due to restrictions at the time, Sally wrote haiku to accompany locations on a self-guided walk of the Marpole neighbourhood that begins and ends at the heritage house. There are haiku for the full set of stops, one for each day of self-quarantine. Here is a map of the whole route.
See also Cherry Trees and Haiku: A Digital Haiku Hedge by Lesley Donaldson.
Stanley Park –
early to end of April
Nina Shoroplova, author of Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, would have led this walk in 2021. The stars of the show in Stanley Park are the grove of ‘Akebono’ on Chilco at Alberni, near the Welcome to Vancouver sign on Highway 99; the grove of ‘Akebono’ trees in the Shakespeare Garden across Pipeline Road from the Rose Garden; the allee of ‘Shirotae’ leading to the non-grafted and rare ‘Ojochin’ at the Japanese-Canadian War Memorial near the aquarium. The final week featured ‘Shiro-fugen’ and rare ‘Gyoiko’ and ‘Shujaku’.
Strathcona –
2nd half of March
One of the highlight trees of this walk are the ‘Accolade’ trees on Pender between Princess and Campbell and at Strathcona Liner Park, blooming late March or early April.
Downtown and West End – mid April
‘Akebono’ trees might start to open at Burrard Station at the end of March; later, the West End features ‘Shirotae’, ‘Umineko’, Sendai-shidare’, ‘Takasago’, ‘Mikuruma-gaeshi’, wrapping up with ‘Ukon’ and a flood of ‘Kanzan’.
UBC – end of March, beginning of April
Featured here are the iconic ‘Somei-yoshino’ block on Lower Mall. You get to compare those with young infill ‘Akebono’ trees. Around the corner are two ‘Shirotae’ outside the Fraser Parkade. Walk a bit to the Chan Centre to see two more magnificent ‘Somei-yoshino’. The first video features several cultivars at the Peter Wharton Cherry Grove at UBC Botanical Garden.
Queen Elizabeth Park – early to mid-April
One of the highlight trees of this walk are the ‘Accolade’ trees on Pender There are many exotic and native trees at Queen Elizabeth Park’s arboretum. Founded in 1949, it contains tree species from around the world. Cherries you should see starting in April include ‘Somei-yoshino’, ‘Akebono’, ‘Shirotae’ and ‘Umineko’.
Programs subject to change. All event titles are protected trademarks of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.