Cherry blossoms around the Hamilton area are again close to blooming and a curator with Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) says the “fickle” trees will need consistent weather in the next few days to show off complete flowers.
Curator of Living Collections at the RBG Alex Henderson says a little cold this past spring bodes well for the light pink sakura trees, which typically seek several days of warmth before opening their buds.
“I’ve been recording bloom time since about 2009, and only in two of the years … 2011 and 2020 … have the cherry blooms been this early before,” Henderson said.
He says a four-stage cycle that finishes with the opening of buds is near completion and advises those seeking to view them to keep an eye on social media for updates.
“Right now the earliest flowering cherries … they’re about to reach peak bloom over the weekend,” he explained. “But we have several different varieties … we have some mid-season bloomers and some late-season bloomers, so there’ll be cherry blossoms in some form for the next ten days.”
Eighteen different species of cherry trees make their home across the RGB.
A warm winter has led to some “weird stuff” at the RBG with some plants like the purple crocus flowers blooming 23 days earlier than normal.
Blossoms typically reach peak bloom between late April and early May, according to Henderson.
Visitors to the RBG can see the largest swath of cherry blossoms in the Arboretum, while the Laking Garden and the Rock Garden have a smattering of trees.
Charges do apply to access the trees at the Arboretum and Laking Gardens with metered parking currently in effect.
The outlet also boasts similar experiences between May and Labour day with its lilacs, iris, peonies, and roses.
In Hamilton, fans can experience cherry blossom trees at the entrance to Bayfront Park, behind the greenhouse at Gage Park, Centennial Park in Dundas and Spencer Smith Park in Burlington.
Popular spots in Niagara Region include the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, the Floral Showhouse, Kingsbridge Park, the Centennial Lilac Garden and Magnolia Alley.
For the St. Catharines area, it’s the Garden City campus of Brock University and in Lakeview Cemetery in Thorold.
Toronto expects the cherry blossoms to reach peak bloom on April 22.
They can be found at a number of locations including at Centennial Park, Edwards Gardens, Exhibition Place, Trinity Bellwoods Park and Woodbine Park.