Kensington-Cedar Cottage

The Akebonos on 30th Avenue on both sides of the street from Windsor to St. Catherine are in bloom:

 

Shidare zakura in full bloom (private front yard) SE corner of E. 30 and Fraser Street on March 31, 2013.

 

Snofozam in full bloom at SW corner of E. 29 and Inverness on March 31, 2013.

 

Yae Beni-shidare in bloom at NW corner of E. 22nd and Welwyn on March 31, 2013.

 

The two Somei-yoshinos in Brewers Park at Victoria and E. 26 are in full bloom on March 31, 2013.

 

Wendy, now that I have had a closer look at the two trees in Brewers Park, that tree at at Windsor and E. 24th does look more Somei-yoshino-ish.

 

The three mature Sargentii hybrids on the east side of Templeton, south of E 10th, are now past their peak on April 1, 2013.

 

Uminekos undone. The ten young Uminekos in the yard of Laura Secord Elementary on the north side of E. 10th at Templeton have been displaced by new playground equipment.
Only the three more mature Uminekos are left, hugging the corner of the school, in full bloom on April 1, 2013.

 

Here's a really neat espaliered Akebono cherry tree, between two houses, just north of 30th Street on St. Catherine:

Note: I had to trespass to the get the shot.

Also, there's a new, very young Akebono planted at the SE corner of 33rd & Knight, right by the Kensington Park sign (photo taken on April 6th):

 

I think this espaliered tree is a sweet cherry, espaliered so they can get at the fruit. It's not fair when these come out at the same time as 'Akebono', but they're doing that this year. Can you trespass again and look at the backs of the flowers - see if the sepals are curled back?

 

Prunus Avium 'Stella'. Master gardener Lucy told me she bought this tree 10 years ago at GardenWorks because it was especially suited for Vancouver's wetter climate. Stella is a self-fertilizing cultivar that produces 40 pounds of dark sweet cherries for her every year now. Of course, you have to espalier and site it facing south and install netting (3rd photo) to protect your harvest from the birds. But an excellent choice for those wanting to grow their own eating cherries in Vancouver and know what they're doing.

First photo shows the recurved sepals of Prunus Avium. Last photo shows the location at the NW corner of Harriet and E. 30th.

 

Ah, thanks Anne. I can't remember if this 'Stella' tree is still at UBCBG
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showpost.php?p=251838&postcount=11. I was always fond of it.

 

Wow - nicely done, Anne!

 

Mother and Child Akebono in full bloom on the NW corner of Prince Albert and E. 37th April 4, 2013.

 

This new Shirotae was planted by the city park board in 2009 as indicated by the tag. It's in bloom on the west side of Prince Albert, north of E. 35th Avenue on April 6, 2013.

What happened to the reservations that Shirotae is not really suitable as a street tree?

 

Not to mention, did they notice that the rest of the street is 'Kanzan'?

 

On the NE corner of E. 30th and Fraser Street, the Amanogawa trees are starting their bloom on April 8, 2013. They are ahead of their comrades along the the east side of Fraser.

 

The Tai Haku at the SW corner of Fleming and E. 39th is in full bloom on April 8, 2013 and magnificent as ever.

 

Mikuruma-gaeshi is in full bloom at the NW corner of Brock and Nanaimo on April 10, 2013.

 

Kiku-shidare in bloom on the east side of Somerville, south of E. 35th on April 11, 2013.

 

On the north side of the Kensington Community Centre, there is this beautiful tree, which Anne tells me is an Ukon:



At first I thought it was a Shirotae, but then when we went around the corner to the east side of the community centre (on Dumfries), we saw the famous three Shirotae, in full bloom:



This shot even shows the contrast in colour between the Shirotae and the Ukon, which you can see in the background, behind the building.



And here's a cute street sign:

 

Here's a very diseased cherry tree of some sort, on Dumfries:



Some Kanzans starting to open:



Another disesased one (Prunus Avium?):



And this beautiful large tree (also Prunus Avium?):

 

Just east of Knight on 29th Avenue, there's a Shirotae on private property:



Closer to Knight, the three huge Ukons are just beginning to open, but they don't look so great:



In the last photo above, you can see the Kanzans that are supposed to be across the street, but are actually a little further east.

That said, there is a new little baby Kanzan right across the street from them:



And there's an Asian Quince right beside the westmost Ukon that's really stunning right now:

 

The Kanzan planting at 29th & Ross won't be quite as spectacular as it usually is, as the kind folks from BC Hydro have apparently decided that this is the correct way to crop a cherry tree:



That said, the flowers are making a valiant effort to emerge:



And this (Beni?) Shidare Zakura at 29th & Elgin seems to have been almost taken over by its root stock, which has not been discouraged by the owners:

 

Those trees on the north side of Kensington Community Centre, around the corner from the three Shirotae trees at the main entrance are the centre's two Ukons, as per this posting: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showpost.php?p=194842&postcount=129