Sakura Watch, May 21, 2014 - Blossoms are falling, but others are beginning to open, namely the Akebono / Fugenzo sakura which is a different variety and produce a much more massive, round and puffy bloom. These usually tend to bloom the week or two after the better known Yoshino sakura have fallen. There are only a few of these trees in the park - 3 are located at the bottom of the winding path near the yellow bush, and another 5 trees are grouped together at the foot of Hillside Gardens with a commemorative plaque located in the ground between them. This sakura can be spotted due to their copper & green coloured leaves and large, puffy blossoms. I will be posting more of these photos and information in the days and weeks ahead.

As for the rest of the park and the remaining cherry blossoms that we all love to see, there are still a few spots to catch a glimpse of small numbers in the next few days. The best places to see some blossoms are along the winding 'cherry tree lane' path down to the pond, but even better are the trees lining the pond - they still have the most significant amount of blossoms still left to see.

Then next best spot would be the trees by the playground and zoo as they also have a good percentage of trees still holding on to some blossoms. Here there are also a couple small trees that offer the opportunity for beautiful close-up photos as well - just be careful not to damage these as you can see most of the other smaller trees are heavily damaged and broken. We need to ensure the healthy young trees can survive another year to one day catch up to their bigger siblings!

So if you still wanted to see a few blossoms then don't hesitate. The longer the rain and storms stay away, the longer the chance you have to catch them one last time before they're gone!