You know it’s springtime in Toronto when the cherry blossoms suddenly pop out for their all-too-brief stay.
In Japan, flower viewing is an age-old tradition called hanami. Called sakura in Japan, the cherry blossom trees bloom in Toronto at the end of April to early May. When they bloom the trees look quite stunning, displaying their delicate, fluffy, pink and white flowers.
The first Japanese cherry tree was planted here in 1959; it was a present from the citizens of Tokyo. In High Park, 34 cherry trees were received from the Sakura project. Other cherry trees were also donated to other locations around the city, including Exhibition Place, York University and U of T.
I wasn’t up this year for the full-on urban battle that is High Park cherry blossom viewing, so I opted for a couple of alternate locations which offered a calmer, quieter experience:
103 Maitland Street
Robarts Library, University of Toronto
Trinity College, University of Toronto
Lovely. Wish our cherries were in blossom already.
Beautiful photos. I’m glad to see these as I pretty much missed the blooming this year. Just a small correction, though. The Maitland photos are Magnolias. I’m pretty sure, as I have strong memories of one just outside my bedroom window when I was very young, & we have several such trees in our neighborhood.
Thanks for the clarification, Michal! I always get Magnolias mixed up with the Cherry Blossoms for some reason!
Love sakura! Got to see some in Japan this spring!