Photo by Daniel Mosquin
Cherry Blossom Walk with Douglas Justice (Event)
Spring has officially arrived in Vancouver, and with it comes the stunning sight of cherry blossoms in full bloom. If you’re looking to take in the beauty of the season, UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden are two of the best places to visit. Whether you’re a longtime fan of cherry blossoms or a first-time visitor, our gardens offer a peaceful setting to experience the magic of spring. To help you plan your visit, we’ve put together a handy guide featuring a cheat sheet of typical bloom times, insights from Douglas Justice’s 2024 blog on cherry blossoms throughout the year, and details on how to secure your spot for his Cherry Blossom Walk at UBC Botanical Garden.
But that’s not all—Vancouver is home to so many cherry blossoms, and the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival offers tons of resources to help you explore even more locations around the city. Don’t forget to check out the beautiful blossoms scattered across the UBC campus, too. There’s no shortage of places to enjoy the vibrant pink and white petals of spring, and with these resources, you’ll be able to experience the full bloom at its peak.
Cherries of UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden Cheat Sheet
Here’s a cheat sheet for some of the beautiful cherry blossom varieties you can find at UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden. ‘Kanzan’, with its large, double pink flowers, blooms in late April or May and can be spotted along the borders of the mountain. ‘Kiku-zakura’, a rare cherry with deep pink, fully double flowers, blooms in April and has a unique pom-pom-like appearance. ‘Shirotae’ (Mount Fuji cherry) features large, white, fragrant blooms in mid-April, while ‘Tai Haku’ (great white cherry) has exceptionally large, single white flowers that emerge in mid-April. You can also find the delicate ‘Shiro-fugen’ (white Buddha), whose double white blossoms emerge in May, and the elegant ‘Ojochin’, with drooping pink flowers that bloom in late April. For something unique, the ‘Taki-nioi’ (incense waterfall) cherry at Nitobe Memorial Garden is known for its white, ragged-edged petals and almond-scented fragrance. These varieties add a range of colors, shapes, and scents, creating a beautiful and diverse cherry blossom experience!
Cheat sheet of typical cherry blossom bloom times
Cherry Blossoms Throughout The Season 2024
Prunus ‘Ito-kukuri’
UBC Botanical Garden hosts an abundance of cherry trees that explode with beauty throughout the spring season. Read on to hear from Douglas Justice, Associate Director of Horticulture and Curation, about the seasonality of several exceptional varieties. No matter what time you visit UBC Botanical Garden or Nitobe Memorial Garden this spring, there will be a beautiful spring cherry in bloom!
Read more on Douglas Justice’s blog on Cherry Blossoms Throughout The Season from 2024
Cherry Blossom Walk at UBC Botanical Garden
Join Douglas Justice (Associate Director, Horticulture and Collections) for a special tour of the ornamental cherry trees planted throughout the Garden. April marks the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, celebrating the beauty and rebirth of spring. UBC Botanical Garden boasts a diverse collection of ornamental cherries, including historic Sato Zakura, wild species, and modern hybrids. Douglas Justice, Associate Director of Horticulture and Collections at UBC, teaches in UBC’s Masters of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Training Program. He also contributed to the Vancouver Trees app and the Ornamental Cherries in Vancouver handbook, working alongside volunteers from the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.
Get tickets for Douglas Justice’s Cherry Blossom Walk at UBC Botanical Garden: