Vancouver Sun March 16, 2007
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BLOSSOM TIME Time for the city to be tickled pink by 36,000 ornamental and Fibre, of Pitt Meadows (Tel. 604- cherry trees BY STEVE WHYSALL VANCOUVER SUN ancouver’s second annual Cherry Blossom Festival Vgets under way next Thursday with a Cherry Jam at the Burrard SkyTrain Sta- tion. But the big question is: Will there be enough cherry blossoms in bloom in time? The festival has teams of cherry scouts looking for cherry trees in IAN LINDSAY/VANCOUVER SUN full flower in each of the city’s 22 Linda Poole, creative director of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, checks out a blossoming tree on Kits Point Thursday. official neighbourhoods. with a slight apricot scent. It is slight- The results of their search are reported daily on the festival’s offi- flowering cherry street trees and last year after returning to Van- Your Guide to Cherry Trees cial website, www.vcbf.com, under the festival is right in boasting that couver from Chicago, where her the “Peak Blooms Updated no other city in Canada has such a husband, Christopher Poole, had Here’s a list of flowering cherries identified by the Cherry Report” icon. display in spring. been Canada's consul-general. Blossom Festival: In the Hastings- Sunrise district, It is, however, also true that rain Linda immediately noticed how I for example, Kathy Voegtle has can spoil this magnificent show. spectacular Vancouver streets ‘Accolade’: A small-growing, umbrella- spotted a few early flowering What the festival needs right now looked at peak bloom and decid- shaped tree with fine branching, flower- ‘Accolade’ trees in bloom in the is some reasonably warm, dry ed to start a festival, inspired by ing in February or March. The small flow- 3000-block of East 5th Avenue. weather. If the sun shines for the the famous Sakura festivals in ers are semi-double and coloured an “Still over 90 per cent buds, very remainder of March and into Japan. intense light pink. tiny pink petals are beginning to April, we can expect a fabulous “The cherry tree has inspired I ‘Akebono’: A medium-sized tree, even- open,” she reports. show of cherry blossoms. music, art and poetry and it tually becoming umbrella shaped, that In South Cambie, Sherry Buium First to flower are mostly culti- inspires gardeners, too. It out-per- flowers in March or April. Flowers are spotted a row of ‘Accolade’ on vars of Prunus subhirtella such as forms most other trees,” she says. shell pink, fading to nearly white. Laurel between 19th and 20th, ‘Autumnalis’ and ‘Whitcomb’ as Her hope is that people will pay I ‘Amanogawa’: The narrowest of the large-double-flowered Sato while over in the West-End/ Stan- early as January and February. more attention to the beauty of ley Park area Bo Mon Kwan spot- But a much more prominent cherry blossoms and become Zakura (Japanese village cherries), eventually becoming top- ted some ‘Whitcomb’ cherries full burst of blooms happens later this more aware of other spring-flow- shaped with age. The abundant pink flowers are held to upright out. month with cultivars like ‘Ake- ering trees and shrubs. She is par- stems in late April. In Dunbar-Southlands, G. Chet- bono’ and all the Yoshino cherries, ticularly enthusiastic that the fes- I ‘Autumnalis’: A cultivar of Prunus subhirtella, known in Japan ty came across six cherry trees along with favourite varieties of tival will promote community as ‘Jugatsu-zakura’ or the “10th-month cherry.” Its pink flowers “almost in full bloom” in the 3800- Prunus serrulata like ‘Shirotae’ and involvement. appear in January and February. block of West 39th Avenue. ‘Taihaku.’ With this in mind, the festival I ‘Kanzan’: The most common- However, in other parts of town By April, cultivars of P. serrula- has adopted the saying “There is ly planted of all flowering cherries in the cherry scouts were drawing a ta such as ‘Ukon,’ ‘Shogetsu’ and no stranger under the cherry tree.” Vancouver, producing double pink flow- blank. ‘Shirofugen’ burst on the scene Organizing the first festival was ers in late April or May. Nothing to report in Mount along with the Takasago cherry a learning experience, but this I Pleasant, Arbutus-Ridge, Kensing- (Prunus sieboldii) and popular year’s been a hectic “24/7 under- ‘Okame’: A hybrid cherry (Prunus ton-Cedar Cottage. hybrids like ‘Okame,’ ‘Umineko’ taking” she says. incisa x P. campanulata) with small pink Nothing to report in Oakridge, and ‘Amanogawa.’ “The website has taken a lot of flowers in April all along its the slender Renfrew Collingwood, Killarney, From mid-April into May, a pro- work, but it is so helpful, we want branches. Sunset and Victoria-Fraserview. fusion of ‘Kwanzan’ cherries — the to keep it up. I ‘Pink Perfection’: A common cherry All that could change very most widely planted cherry in the “We’re also looking for a home in Vancouver with a large, spreading, umbrella-shaped crown and quickly — in fact, even as you are city — fills streets everywhere for the festival — a garden where large, double-pink flowers, lighter in colour than ‘Kanzan.’ reading this. with great clouds of pink. we can have a base.” I ‘Shirofugen’: A popular May-flowering Sato Zakura cultivar Vancouver has more than 36,000 Linda Poole started the festival [email protected] known from the 15th century in Japan, and recognized for its ful- ly double flowers. I ‘Shirotae’ (Mt. Fuji cherry): A cultivar that blooms in late April Dancers, drummers will highlight festival with large, pure white, fragrant flowers. I ‘Shogetsu’: A small tree with spreading, rounded crown and o get the festival off secutive Saturdays, estab- elegant pink, frilled blossoms in May after the leaves have Tto a good start, a lished and budding artists emerged. lunch-time Cherry are invited to participate I ‘Tai Haku’: A strong-growing cherry with an Jam concert has been in three-hour classes from upright, spreading habit and white, single flowers. arranged for Thursday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at sites I (March 22) from noon to where cherry blossoms ‘Takasago’: An unusual cultivar from mid-18th 1:30 p.m. are in full bloom. The out- century Japan with pink flowers that emerge in There will be tradition- door painting sessions will late April. al Japanese drumming by also feature teaching by I ‘Ukon’: More upright Chibi and Katori Taiko, artists who specialize in a than spreading, this has flow- music by the Calgary Fid- wide range of techniques. ers of an unusual yellowish dlers, harp playing by Lori The cost is $40 per session green. It has a robust constitution with large, Pappajohn with Lori Lister or $150 for all five classes. double flowers in late April. on bells, and Japanese To encourage young I ‘Umineko’: This less well-known cultivar, cherry blossom dances by IAN LINDSAY/VANCOUVER SUN plein-air artists, the festi- has a small, very narrow vase-shaped crown and masses of ele- Maiko dancers from the A variety of events will greet the return of flowers val is putting on lessons gant, single white flowers in April. Otowa Ryu School. to Vancouver’s cherry trees. for children aged 6 to 13 There will also be a on April 21 from 11 a.m. to I ‘Whitcomb’: This cultivar of the Japanese reading by Bard on the Beach air” (outdoor) painting led by 2 p.m. The cost is $30. spring cherry flowers reliably in February or director Christopher Gaze of some plein-air master Alfonso Tejada. For more information about the March with vivid purple-pink flowers. of 1,130 haiku poems submitted by “Outdoor painting is a way to painting classes or other aspects of I Yedoensis (Yoshino cherry): The parent of writers in 33 countries. express a moment in time when the festival, visit www.vcbf.com or ‘Akebono,’ it has pink flowers in late March or Other highlights of the festival nature touches the soul,” he says. call 604 767 9044. early April. Older specimens are distinctly include classes in the art of “plein- Starting March 24 for five con- [email protected] umbrella-shaped..