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



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
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.
First, I visit the Accolade cherry trees at Chilco Park (Chilco/Comox). “Hey, the cherry blossoms are out!” said a man cycling by.
Tip: The Accolade blossoms are 70% in bloom. Visit this location within 10 days to enjoy peak blossom.
Then, I check on the Akebono cherry trees at Burrard skytrain station. Mostly buds, but the trees at the front (which are exposed to the sun) already have a few flowers.
Tip: It looks like the cherry blossoms will be fully open in 10 days. Visit around March 25 to experience peak bloom.
Whitcombs cherry blossoms at Ayshire and Aubrey in Burnaby are finally open. The trees are bloomed at 70%.
Tip: Visit within 7 days to catch peak bloom and 10-15 days to be showered in petals.
Wow! That was an exciting day of cherry scouting! At night, I sort through my photos. The next day, I post my findings on the UBC botanical garden forum.
Tip: Did you know you can see what’s blooming in your neighbourhood by visiting the UBC botanical garden forum? Click on your neighborhood and navigate to the last page to see what was posted recently.
Additional tip: Create a login and you’ll be able to subscribe to a thread to receive news of blooming trees in your neighbourhood.
If you’d like to learn how to identify cherry trees, visit the VCBF cherry scout page.
The atmosphere was very festive for The Big Picnic at the Queen Elizabeth Park. Hundreds of people gathered under cherry trees to enjoy a community picnic and watch musical performances while Akebono cherry petals quietly fell all around.
Join us for more fun under cherry blossoms such as Bike the Blossoms and more activities featured on our community events page.
On 6th avenue, if you head towards Slocan you’ll get a view of this beautiful cherry blossom road.
On top of the hill the canopy of cherry trees is spectacular.
It’s a short block, but the cherry trees are quite amazing.
There are large Akebono cherry trees, which means a lot of petals are falling.
This is the last week to get caught in Akebono snow, so hurry up and check our neighbourhood map to locate cherry trees trees near you.
Akebono cherry trees have reached peak bloom in downtown Vancouver. It’s a lovely time for a walk.
Want to know more about Vancouver cherry trees? Join our free Cherry Talks and Walks starting this Sunday April 7.
At the rose garden in Stanley Park, Akebono cherry trees are full of buds. The blossoms will reach peak bloom in a few days, just in time for our Tree Talk and Walk on Sunday April 7.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Stanley Park, Akebono trees are in full bloom. The blossoms are glowing in the sun.
Check out the Akebono in your neighborhood this week-end to be covered with petals. Or, better, attend The Big Picnic at Queen Elizabeth park on April 13. There will be food, music, dance, and blossoms
Happy cherry blossom viewing!
Don’t hesitate to go cherry blossom viewing, even on a cloudy day, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that cherry blossoms won’t wait. When it’s time for the petals to fall, you want to be there. Rain or shine, it will still be spectacular.
There are two rows of akebono cherry trees at 5th avenue and Lillooet. A bonus feature is that you get the highrises of Burnaby’s Brentwood area in the background.
This location is very close to 6th and Slocan where you’ll find akebono forming an archway over the street, so you should visit both.
Visit the Festival Neighbourhood maps to see what’s blooming in your area.
Happy cherry blossom viewing!
It’s that time of the year when Akebono petals fall softly on the streets of Vancouver. Lots of photographers will visit one of the Festival’s favorite locations, such as 6th and Slocan where Akebono cherry trees form an archway over the street.
Visit the Festival neighbourhood map to find our favorite cherry blossom viewing locations (listed in red on the map).
You might also like to visit: Graveley street, Georgia street, Manitoba street.
Happy cherry blossom viewing!
It was a gorgeous sunny day for the opening of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival at the Burrard skytrain station today.
The Akebono cherry buds were about to open, and there were some blossoms at the top of the trees.
First stop: the Cocktails and Canape booth where you could pick up a Blossom Bliss picnic, along with cherry blossom shake, and popcorn dessert.
After browsing the vendors’ table, it was time to pick a spot: the show was about to start.
First, Sinfonia Orchestra took the stage for an amazing concert. A choir accompanied them on stage, and then some flash-mob singers, dispersed throughout the crowd, joined their voice for a rendition of Sakura! Sakura! I’m really glad they played it twice because that was a pretty cool to hear all the voices joining the choir from everywhere in the station.
Then, we were delighted by the sound of Son De Maple, a Vancouver based band with a latin sound and the most amazing percussionist I’ve ever seen (never thought someone could play a tambourine like this).
The Cherry Jam concert ended with the Uzume Taiko drumming group. They were accompanied by members of the South Asian Arts group who made us dance to the sound of Bollywood music.
Linda Poole, the festival director, closed the festivities and wished everybody a happy spring and a great Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.
The Akebono cherry trees, which are be 2-3 weeks behind the normal blooming season, are just about to open everywhere in the city, so go visit soon!
Leaving the station, I saw a woman taking pictures of the smaller tree planted in front of the station and realized this was probably my best chance for me to get a close-up of the blossoms. The tree is in the sunlight. It was perfect.
If you didn’t pick up a VCBF schedule at the festival tent, you’ll find it in this this week’s Georgia Straight. Visit our website for a complete list of activities and updates.