There's a fluctuating sea of color in several cities across Canada and it's a sure sign of spring: cherry blossoms are in bloom.
According to the High Park Nature Center, Toronto's High Park is famous for its canopy of blooming cherry blossom trees, which are now officially in full bloom.
“That means more than 70% of the flowers are now open,” park spokesman Rohith Rao said. IN VancouverThe pink “kanzan” flower has amazed visitors.
Although most plants have a peak bloom period, how long they last depends on location and weather conditions. Once the flowers have bloomed, they are fragile to natural elements.
“Warm and unstable weather means we may have shorter bloom times,” Rao said. Coolness and quiet can prolong that time.” Typical bloom time is only 4 to 10 days. Even with ideal conditions, the season can be short.
The blooming flowers attract hundreds of thousands of people to Toronto parks each year and there is even a “Cherry blossom hotline” for people to call in and get the latest news. The nature center monitors blooms, predicts peak bloom times, and tracks annual cherry blossom trends across the city.
Flower development is a temperature-sensitive process. Plants will bloom early when encouraged by warm weather, while cooler conditions will slow the blooming process.
A woman walks past blooming cherry trees in Centennial Park, in Toronto, Monday, April 22, 2024. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)
Flowers are unpredictable
Vancouver has more than 43,000 cherry trees. But this year, many roses landed earlier than people could enjoy.
“Our Akebono, a cultivar… is a little bit early,” said Andrea Arnot, executive director of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees bloomed two weeks early after record warm weather in March. Then, the flower petals quickly fall to the ground.
“They used to follow along pretty well and predictably,” said festival founder Linda Poole. “Now with climate changesThis year has been the most challenging.”
Where do they come from?
These trees can be found in cities across the country and many of them were gifts from Japan. In Vancouver, in the early 1930s, the mayors of Kobe and Yokohama gifted the park board with 500 Japanese cherry trees to be planted at the Japanese memorial in Stanley Park, in honor of Japanese Canadians who served in World War I. Years later, trees were planted along the city's boulevards.
In Toronto, the first trees were planted in 1959 in an event initiated by Japanese Canadian leaders and community members with the goal of establishing a Japanese garden in a public park.
After many fundraising efforts, the Japanese ambassador to Canada, on behalf of the people of Tokyo, donated 2,000 cherry blossom trees to Toronto. They were planted in appreciation of Toronto's acceptance of resettled Japanese Canadians after World War II.
Viewers have enjoyed the blooms every year since then.
“They are amazing. The scent of the cherry blossoms is amazing,” said Alice Benlolo, who was visiting the trees at York University in Toronto.
“With all the political negativity going on,” said another tourist, Yoram Rostas. “That's wonderful, come rest.”
