Sakura Watch April 27, 2024 - Last days of Peak Bloom as blossom petals begin to fall in High Park
Sakura Watch April 27, 2024 - Last days of Peak Bloom as blossom petals begin to fall in High Park. The rain has returned, and during today’s visit, I could already see fallen petals on the ground. But fear not, this is only the beginning of falling petals throughout the park, and the impact is minimal for the weekend, in which, at most, the trees will lose up to 5%-10% of their bloom by Monday, pending how much more rain we get. If the weather turns around and becomes more fair and calm, then the cherry blossoms will stay put longer. Overall, High Park continues to be in Peak Bloom as all areas are still showing at least 90% of open blossoms. Read on to learn more about what I saw in each area of High Park…
Getting Around High Park
When visiting High Park, there are four main areas to enjoy the Sakura cherry blossoms, and I have outlined them on my interactive Map and Directions page (link here).
Do note there will be NO vehicle access to the park on weekends and during the bloom, so you will NOT be allowed to drive in and park. Options will be limited to parking along Bloor St all along the park's length or on nearby side streets and paid P parking lots a short distance from the lakeshore and Bloor West Village. I will try to put together a special video and post about this soon.
Please stop damaging the trees
Unfortunately, once again, I found a few more damaged branches, which were broken from obvious pulling down of the branch. Proper etiquette is always important, too, so as not to damage the trees in surrounding areas and wildlife habitats. Please don’t climb the trees, don’t pull, bend, shake or break branches, or climb onto the trees themselves, as all of these things will cause irreversible damage and make the overall sakura hanami enjoyment less for everyone else.
Turtle Hatchlings on Cherry Hill
Also, please be mindful of the little boxes located on the ground throughout Cherry Hill. These boxes help protect the turtle hatchlings from people trampling on them. High Park Nature Centre has some staff on hand to explain more about this, so drop by their table to learn more.
Now, back to the blossoms.
the Sports Fields (by Bloor St Entrance)
The small collection of trees that frame the sports fields showed 90-95% open blossoms. The twin trees that first greet you from the Bloor Street entrance are still a feast for the eyes, along with the other trees in the area. White blossom petals were dotting the ground around these trees signalling that the bloom is now slowly beginning to fade. Sadly, this is where one tree I found had a broken branch. For keen observers, you will notice other trees hidden and scattered amongst the walking paths and along the roadside walkway near the area. Here are some more detailed photos from today:
Cherry Hill (by Grenadier Cafe)
Peak Bloom continues flourishing, with the largest collection and the most famous High Park Cherry Hill area. As of this morning, the trees showed over 95% open blossoms. On top of Cherry Hill, across from Grenadier Cafe, there are also sakura trees showing 95% open blossoms. There were signs of blossom petals falling, and in my video, I show a tree atop the hill gently shedding a few blossom petals in the breeze, resembling falling snow. Did you know the Japanese have a name for this? This process is called sakura-fubuki, which translates ‘cherry petals falling like snow’. It's just another way they celebrate the entire cycle of the bloom as another gift from Mother Nature.
It is always stunning to see; depending on when you visit, you will begin to see the Magnolia trees open up! Here are some more detailed photos of this area:
Along Grenadier Pond and By the Dock
Continuing down the path following the edge of Grenadier Pond, the cherry trees are still in peak bloom, with over 90% of open blossoms to enjoy. Due to this area’s proximity to Lake Ontario and its more exposed layout with the pond, these trees are more susceptible to the wind, so I would expect to see petals fall a bit more quickly than in other park areas. But this doesn’t mean they will all fall in a day, merely that you will be more likely to experience the blossom blizzard, also known as hanafubuki, which is when the blossom petals fall more like a heavy snowfall. This is the reason why some people try to shake the branches to get this effect, but I urge anyone to please not do this and instead be patient and let it happen naturally. As for this weekend, there are a lot of wonderful blossoms to see. Here are some more detailed photos of this area:
By Jamie Bell Adventure Playground and the Zoo
The peak bloom continues next to Jamie Bell Adventure Playground and High Park Zoo. These trees began to bloom slowly and currently show 90-95% of open blossoms. Since these trees started later than the other areas, I expect them to last a day or two longer. This area may not be as well known, but that gives it an advantage with less potential crowding and easier for families to view, who may already be in the park for the playground or zoo. You can find them tucked into a small group of trees by the duck pond and the other group across from the playground.
Another thing I wanted to note: in the last three pictures, you will have blossoms with rust-looking, wilted petals. I included these to show what happens to the petals when exposed to frost, as we had a few nights in a row, and the temperatures did get low enough for a few trees in this area to damage the blossoms. Interestingly, I didn’t see as much obvious damage in other park areas.
Here are some more detailed photos of this area:
Last chance to enjoy Peak bloom In High Park
So, as the Peak Bloom Sakura Hanami is slowly ending in High Park, this coming weekend is your last chance to visit. The forecast calls for a mix of sun and rain, and today’s rainfall has already begun knocking down a small percentage of blossom petals. With each day, the overall bloom will reduce as more blossoms fall. How much and how fast will be strongly dependent on how much rain and wind we get in the days ahead. The safest bet is that the bloom will dip below 50% by early next week, and more leaves will continue to come in as temperatures warm and encourage the trees to continue progressing. But of course, we can’t forget there is also the late-blooming other variety of Japanese blossoms known as Fugenzo, which will bloom later in April, but we’ll touch on that in a future post.
So, for now, I hope you all enjoy the weekend and take in the wonderful blossom experience in any one of the other dozen locations throughout the city before another season comes to an end. I’ll be back with more next week, so watch for more updates soon.
Do Your Part to Help the Trees from Damage
As much fun as it is to get up close to enjoy the cherry blossoms truly, there are some who take it a bit too far and cause damage to the tree that can lead to irreparable harm so the trees can not protect themselves from insects and disease and eventually die. This leaves us with less mature trees to enjoy, so please, if you really want to enjoy the blossoms for many years to come, you need to do your part to help protect the trees and prevent any harm to them:
Don’t pick or break off any blossoms
Don’t pull down, shake or break off the branches
Don’t climb, sit or stand on the trunks or branches - the mature trees are very old and not strong enough to support the weight and stress of people, even small children!
Don’t leave any litter IN or around the trees - it’s so sad to see people putting their garbage in the hollow trunks of the older trees, which invites animals and other insects to nest inside and cause internal damage.
DO take photos without harming the trees
DO enjoy the blossoms and respect their immediate surroundings
DO remember that respecting the trees from root to branch will help everyone to enjoy the blooming trees for many years to come
Donate to Support The Cherry Blossoms
The City of Toronto now accepts donations to help maintain existing trees and plant future ones. See this link for details.
Read more details and information on the City of Toronto - Cherry Blossom Website
Thank you all for visiting the site. Be careful, be safe, and watch for more updates soon.