Three ‘Accolade’ and one plum in full bloom on GaleAveNorth, east of Sandpiper. They are on a private driveway, but easily viewed from the sidewalk.
This afternoon the sun came out and the wind picked up. This ‘Beni-shidare’ blooming now on Fairway and Harbour in West Sechelt.
‘Accolade’ has grown up a bit since 2021 (see posting #73 in this thread). It’s blooming about one week earlier than it did in 2021.
Several ‘Rancho’ blooming now in downtown Sechelt. This one on Inlet and Cowrie. It was very windy, and I was sure happy I was not using an SLR.
There are three big ‘Akebono’ visible from the Sunshine Coast Highway as you enter Davis Bay at Whitaker. You can’t miss them.
‘Akebono’ blooming now at the St. John’s United Church Memorial Garden in Davis Bay. Lots of limbs on this one.
This is a very odd location for ‘Snofozam’ but here it is at the SW corner of the Haley Chrysler Car Dealership. I must have driven by hundreds of times, but only noticed it today.
Back in 2021 there were two 'Shirotae' at the Tuwanek mailboxes. When Wendy and I went back there on April 26, 2024 they were gone. But there was new growth. We assumed there was 'Prunus avium’ regrowth from one tree and some 'Shirotae' suckers growing from the roots of the second tree. When we drove into Tuwanek on March 27, 2026 Wendy said “that could be 'Colt' “ from one block away. Sure enough, there was a very fragrant stand of blooming 'Colt' (not ‘Prunus avium’) and also the 'Shirotae' trying to make a comeback from it's own roots of the second tree. Resilience!
Four ‘Akebono’ at the Good Samaritan Christenson Village. It has been so cold, the blossoms are holding on longer than usual. “Under a cherry tree, there are no strangers”
I’ve been waiting a few years now for Hanami at the Blackfish. Turns out today was the first day the patio was open for the season. I can confirm the tree is ‘Akebono’.
I'm so late posting this group of what I now think are 'Somei-yoshino' on Harry Road. They were posted in 2023 at https://forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/sunshine-coast-gulf-islands.95067/page-18#post-436290, with a link there to very sparsely-hairy pedicels. I talked to the owner, who had them planted (I can not now remember when). She didn't learn the cultivar name, but she has had cherry grove experience and has been pretty sure that her trees are different from the 'Akebono' in bloom now. I have renamed them 'Somei-yoshino' on the map because of the over-all whiteness of the flowers, absence of pink on opening flowers, pale buds, long narrow sepals and big stars from the front. They are only missing the fuzzy-haired pedicels. I'm not good at distinguishing the tree shape of the two cultivars in question. Here's our Hanami collection of 'Akebono' flowers with petaloids.
I agree with Wendy. These trees on Harry Road must be ‘Somei-yoshino’ I couldn’t find a single petaloid.
Two ‘Akebono’ at the Garden Hotel in Gibsons. Now I’m really convinced the trees on Harry Rd in previous two postings are not ‘Akebono’. ‘Akebono’ are noticeably pinker.
@Willard has found A LOT of petaloids this year. I might even have to allow @Douglas Justice his claim that they occur 1 in every 10 flowers on 'Akebono'. I've been saying not more frequent than 1 in 100, but Willard finds them in every 'Akebono' cluster.
It’s certainly not Mt. Fuji in the background, but it’s definitely ‘Shirotae’ blooming now at the Tuwanek mailboxes. See posting #711 in this thread.
The two ‘Akebono’ at Sunnycrest Mall did not get their annual ‘Gibsons haircut’ this year, so they are looking better than usual.
Much to my surprise, Deluxe Landscape Supply and Garden Centre in Sechelt has five cultivars of ornamental cherry trees for sale: ‘Kanzan’ ‘Yae-beni-shidare’ ‘Shirotae’ (labelled as Fuji) ‘Snofozam’ ‘Akebono’ $200 each They are all potted and planted in soil bordering the parking lot. And yes, petaloids visible on the sparse ‘Akebono’ blossoms.
