First posting in 2008 Here's a pre-season report from the semi-tropical west end. Autumnalis Rosea trees have been quite properly covered with their very subtle blossoms since November. Prime locations are 1000 block Pacific, Thurlow lane between Burnaby and Harwood, and Nicola mini-park north of Davie. There have also been scattered blooms on Whitcomb and Accolade trees since at least December. If you're standing under them, the blossoms are easy to see, but if you drive by, there's no splash of colour yet to catch your attention. Whitcombs are at Nicola mini-park, 1200 block Nelson, and this one at the Aquatic Centre. Accolades are at Chilco minipark at Comox, and two at the Aquatic Centre next to the Whitcomb.
Re: West End, Stanley Park - Whitcombs Am I impatient or what? It's been three weeks and the Whitcombs are still not in full bloom, but they are halfway there, and with this nice weather, maybe it won't be long now. Here's the one at the Aquatic Centre: These are on Nelson, at Bute and at Jervis: And these two trees are in Nicola mini-park between Pendrell and Davie. There is a third Whitcomb not visible off to the left. You can also see Autumnalis Rosea in the photo:
*Finished - Whitcomb - West End, Haro Park Manor at Haro and Bute [Edited by wcutler 2010aug22:] These trees are no longer there. [This festival favourite is now in bloom.] Whitcomb, in the West End neighborhood, at Haro Park Manor at Haro and Bute Sts, will be number 2 on the VCBF map. It looks like this will be the first favourite to bloom, but it's behind all the other Whitcombs in the West End and is not yet showing enough colour to show you the tree. Here's a blossom, though.
Re: Whitcomb - West End Absolutely stunning. I am in Pitt Meadows, and well, I have some wee, early spring croci, and some snowdrops. My wintersweet is blooming, but you guys are always 2+ weeks ahead of us!
Re: West End, Stanley Park - Whitcombs Here are 2 1/2 trees at Nicola and Beach - one of them has a single limb, which the West End seems to specialize in, as there's another just like that on Nelson. The Whitcomb at Haro Park Manor at Haro and Bute Sts is reported in posting #12
Re: West End, Stanley Park - full list of trees I'm attaching the spreadsheets that my co-scout and I did last year, with every cherry we could find in the West End, whose range is Burrard St to Stanley Park, Georgia St to English Bay. There's lots of info missing, some of it is surely wrong, and the photo names are only useful to us.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Thanks Wendy for posting your spreadsheets. It took me a while to figure out how the forums work. I am amazed at the rich details that have been provided!
Re: West End, Stanley Park Thanks Wendy, you provided an informative spreadsheet for a new comer to follow.
Re: West End, Stanley Park - Whitcombs These Whitcombs are at the back of a highrise, at Pendrell and Gilford. I was allowed in to get the first photo and the closeup. These are updates of Nelson at Bute, Nicola Park at Pendrell, and Nicola at Beach.
Re: *POSTED - Whitcomb - West End These trees at Haro Park Manor on Haro at Bute are fully out now. [Edited by wcutler 2010aug20]: these trees are fully gone now. There's a 'Kanzan' still there, but the 'Whitcomb' were removed.
Re: *POSTED - Whitcomb - West End Very beautiful, you guys are lucky to see such a display. We are a good 2 weeks behind out here in Pitt Meadows. I am immensely enjoying my crocuses and snowdrops.
* Finished - Accolade - West End at Chilco mini-park Comox-Nelson There are Accolades at the end of the park on Comox, all through the half-block mini-park, and along the street up to Nelson. They're showing colour now, but the area will look a lot more interesting in about a week.
Re: West End, Stanley Park - Accolades Finally, something new! Accolades are definitely worth a visit at the Aquatic Centre and across the street. On the Aquatic Centre side, the left one of the three trees (easternmost tree) is a Whitcomb, something I didn't discover until this year. The Accolades at Chilco min-park are about a week behind these at the Aquatic Centre.
Re: Accolade - West End at Chilco mini-park Comox-Nelson These trees are worth a look now. They're still not at peak bloom, but I'm posting them on the VCBF website.
Re: West End, Stanley Park - Prunus pendula 'Pendula' at Alexandra Park The Prunus pendula 'Pendula' at Alexandra Park, Beach Ave at Bidwell, is only days away from full bloom. This photo is from March 17, 2008.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Your pictures appear to show a grafted, darker form (such as Prunus pendula 'Park Weeping'* or P. pendula 'Pendula Rubra') resembling those sold in nurseries (as weeping cultivars of P. x subhirtella) - rather than a P. pendula seedling. *Cultivar name no longer used by the trade
* Finished - Akebonos - West End, Alberni near Burrard in Grosvenor Plaza These Akebonos are blooming a bit ahead of the ones at Burrard Station - it's a nice display, and they'll be out in time for the Cherry Jam on March 25, but of course, the Jam is not at this location, it's at a much larger venue two blocks over, where only a few blossoms are out on March 18.
Re: West End, Stanley Park I think this should probably be ascribed to Prunus pendula 'Beni Shidare', which is very common in Vancouver.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees lists P. x subhirtella 'Beni-shidare' as a synonym of P. pendula 'Park Weeping' (but not P. pendula 'Pendula Rubra', which he describes as "Common"). Kuitert, Japanese Flowering Cherries uses P. pendula 'Beni-shidare' as a sort of group name (with P. pendula 'Rosea'* and P. x subhirtella 'Pendula Rubra' (see below) listed as synonyms): "Some variation is seen in trees of 'Beni-shidare' in collections, and a deep pink form from Tama, Tokyo, formed the basis of the following description..." *Listed by Jacobson as P. pendula 'Pendula Rosea' and said by him to be paler than P. pendula 'Pendula Rubra' (syn. P. x subhirtella 'Pendula Rubra')
Re: West End, Stanley Park More photos of Whitcomb and plum near Haro Park Manor at Haro and Bute St. for your appreciation at http://www.greenclub.bc.ca/Chinese/Experience/Nature_Photography/Spring/C1/c1.htm [Edited by wcutler 2012feb22:]These 'Whitcomb' are gone now.
Re: West End, Stanley Park - Ranchos The Ranchos on Davie have blossoms now, though the trees don't give the impression of pink yet from any distance. These Shirotae aren't the best looking trees (!), but I'm fond of this first photo from last year because I was a novice cherry scout and here on Burrard near Davie is where I met VCBF Team Sakura's Joseph Lin (pictured), and we both started to tell each other about Shirotae and the VCBF festival! The second photo is from yesterday, and maybe there are flower buds hiding in amongst those leaves, but it wasn't obvious. The similar trees around the corner are gone now. [edited by wcutler 20090717: these are gone now too.]
Re: West End, Stanley Park There's more than one colunnar Sargent cherry grown in the west, I wouldn't call a planting 'Rancho' without reviewing the characteristics of these first - or having some basis for knowing it was that particular one (like nursery labels hanging from them or planting records at an office) - maybe that is the case here. 'Shirotae' is prone to cherry bark tortrix, if these have it there should be signs of boring. When the larvae are active in a tree they make surface holes from which "sawdust" comes out.
Re: West End, Stanley Park Here's another shot of the Accolades at the Aquatic Centre, taken from the Burrard Bridge. The nearest tree on the left is a Whitcomb whose blossoms I've been photographing all winter. [edited by wcutler 2011jan15: the Whitcomb has been removed, after being damaged in a storm last year.]
