Your guide to Ontario's best spots for cherry blossom viewing this spring as peak bloom approaches
Spring is here and cherry blossoms in Ontario are approaching peak bloom.
Popular places to view cherry blossoms include locations in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Ottawa, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls.
On April 24, the cherry blossoms in High Park were in Stage 3 of the bloom development process.
'We will be able to make a prediction about when peak bloom will occur in the coming days,' according to
High Park bloom watch
.
Toru-Hagiwara, the Japanese ambassador to Canada, first presented 2,000 Japanese Somei-Yoshino trees in 1959 to the citizens of Toronto on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo, planted in appreciation of the city accepting relocated Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War, according to the
City of Toronto
.
Since then, thousands of Canadians and tourists gather annually at parks to partake in the centuries-old tradition of hanami, which is the Japanese term for flower viewing.
Destinations Ontario
explains the fragrant, pale red, pink and soft white flowers typically bloom for a short time in late April and early May on ornamental cherry trees, as well as other trees including crab apple, magnolia and plum.
Jon Peter, director of horticulture at
Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG),
located in Burlington and Hamilton, said predicting the exact time of peak bloom can be difficult and relies on an accumulation of days with above-freezing temperatures.
Peter said with the predicted forecast there could be enough of those days to initiate peak blooming at RBG by approximately the last week of April.
There are a diverse variety of cherries at RBG that will bloom over a range of dates. Some will flower and fade away as another is just opening.
Depending on the weather, Peter said some of the earlier types will flower mid-to-late April. RBG is expected to have blooms continuing into mid May.
The Kwanzan flowering cherry trees in Gage Park in Hamilton are in bloom and are attracting more than human admirers.
It's predicted peak bloom will be later than the previous years at RBG.
Peter said some of the earliest flowers of the year were flowering in mid February in 2024.
'This year, they started flowering mid-to-late March, so more than a month behind last year,' he said.
In 2024, flowers reached their peak bloom at RBG on April 18.
Visitors to Bayfront Park in Hamilton enjoy the cherry trees in blossom.
Many environmental factors go into flowering, including day length, days above freezing, soil temperatures, light exposure, soil moisture, nutrition, and wind. These factors effect how long the flowers stay around.
There are a bunch of places to see cherry blossoms in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Ottawa, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls.
Here are some top spots to see cherry blossom in Scarborough, Toronto, Etobicoke, Brampton and Mississauga:
Location:
1297 Ellesmere Rd.
Location:
256 Centennial Park Rd.
Location:
755 Lawrence Ave. E.
Location:
100 Princes' Blvd.
Location:
1873 Bloor St. W.
Location:
6 Sakura Way
Location:
Main St. S.
Location:
3620 Kariya Dr.
Location:
790 Queen St. W.
In 1959, Toronto was presented with 2,000 Somei-Yoshino trees, in a project led by first-generation Japanese Canadians and the Japanese consulate. These ones are in Toronto's High Park.
Ottawa has some great cherry blossom spots, too.
Location:
Elgin Street
Location:
Prince of Wales Drive
Location:
Mackenzie Avenue
The Niagara region showcases a unique blend of cherry blossoms and scenic vineyards.
Location:
15927 Niagara River Pkwy.
Location:
2565 Niagara River Pkwy.
Location:
14184 Niagara Pkwy.
Cherry blossom blooms on the Laura Secord Trail.
Check out cherry blossom at the Royal Botanical Gardens and more places in Hamilton and Halton.
Location:
200 Harbour Front Dr.
Location:
1000 Main St. E.
Location:
1308 Lakeshore Rd. E.
Location:
680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington
and
16 Old Guelph Rd., Hamilton
Location:
1400 Lakeshore Rd.
Location:
Brock University,
1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way
Check the bloom forecast before you head out to time your viewing.
Cherry blossoms bloom in various places in Ontario, including Ottawa.
To track the cherry blossom bloom in the famous High Park location,
HighParkNatureCentre.com
has a detailed and updated tracker so you can plan your visit.
RBG updates its
Flowering Cherry Bloom Watch
.
A cherry blossom hotline also offers information about bloom predictions and can be reached at
647-946-2547
.
— With files from Itai Buenahora
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