Sakura Watch, March 19, 2017 show buds survived latest snowfall

Sakura Watch, March 19, 2017 show buds survived the latest snowfall in Toronto this past week. We were lucky the snow and cold that hit other parts of Southern Ontario mostly passed over us. The buds were still closed and well protected from any freezing temperatures as this weekend visit shows.

Healthy Buds

Have a look at the gallery above to see how the buds are well rounded and seem mostly healthy. A few branches show some shrivelled and underdeveloped buds, as seen in the last two photos. However, most of the buds I've seen so far are looking good and seem to be on track to move on to the next stages of bud development.

Still too early to predict

This is the second visit to the park, and although spring is officially here, winter isn't over yet. The weather over the coming weeks will play a big roll in how fast the buds will develop. If we get to see warmer temperatures and some occasional rainfall, that could help the progress along. But if we get more freezing cold days and even some snow, that could slow things down. So, for now, I'll be keeping watch and update again next weekend. Hopefully, over the next couple of weeks, a picture of when the bloom will happen this year will become more clear. Check back again soon!