What Makes Cherry Blossoms So Special?
Cherry blossoms — with their big, puffy pink blooms and light, delicate vanilla-like scent — are in a class of their own. Visitors and locals flock, cameras in hand, to parks and neighbourhoods fortunate enough to have been planted with these photogenic trees decades ago.
Vancouver, BC is home to one of the largest collections of “sakura” (ornamental cherry-blossom trees) outside of Japan. Come spring, its parks are awash in powdery pinks and sidewalks scattered with petals. But British Columbia’s not the only Canadian region with a springtime explosion of cherry blossoms — other provinces boast their own special spots too.
What Is the Best Time to See Cherry Blossoms in Canada?
Canada is a big country with a wide variety of climates and seasons, so figuring out the peak time to see cherry blossoms depends on the location. Generally speaking, flowering trees start to bud between February and May; the further west you are, the earlier the flowering season.
Victoria, BC begins blossoming season in mid-February (give or take a week or two), while Montreal’s top blossom time is during the merry month of May. But no matter where you live or where you’re planning to visit this spring, there will be some blossoms to beam at — you just need to know where (and when) to look!
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These Are the Best Places in Canada to See Cherry Blossom Trees
1. Victoria
When: Late February to Early May
Where: Thanks to Victoria’s unique “rain shadow” climate, cherry trees have thrived in this Vancouver-Island city. Low rainfall (for the West Coast, that is) combined with warm spring temperatures mean blossoms here are the first to burst in Canada.
Wander through Beacon Hill Park, stopping at the adorable, by-donation petting zoo along the way, or book tickets for the famous Butchart Gardens. James Bay, Fairfield and Moss Street are also great residential neighbourhoods to spot swaths of cherry blossoms.
2. Vancouver
When: Late February to May
Where: In the 1930s, Vancouver received hundreds of cherry trees, to be planted in Stanley Park, from Japan as a gift honouring the Japanese Canadians who served in WWI. Since then, the city has planted more than 43,000 cherry trees and more than 50 varietals. The city even hosts the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, which includes an active “Blooming Now” map, listing the locations of current trees in flower.
With this in mind, there is no doubt that Vancouver is Canada’s top spot for cherry blossom spotting — walk anywhere from March to May and you’ll see them. But Queen Elizabeth Park, Burrard Skytrain Station and UBC’s botanical garden have some of the highest concentrations of trees.
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3. Edmonton
When: April to Early May
Where: As winter retreats from Alberta’s capital city and the snows along the streets of Edmonton melt, the city’s cherry trees prepare to dazzle onlookers. Walk, run, cycle or segway along the 145 km of trails zigzagging along the North Saskatchewan River in the River Valley in springtime and you’ll be greeted with a parade of pink.
Edmonton’s cherry blossoms can also be found putting on a show in the Alberta Legislature grounds, George F. Hustler Memorial Plaza, the Fairmont Mac Courtyard, the Victoria Promenade and the French Quarter.
4. Niagara Region
When: Mid-April to Early May
Where: A hot spot for vineyards and orchards, Ontario’s Niagara Region is also home to a showy display of cherry blossoms. Farms, small-town streets and local parks come to life with blooms of all types in the warm May weather — so much so that Niagara Parks put together a “What’s in Bloom” calendar.
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens is a good place to start, followed by a picnic at Queenston Heights Park. Falls Parking Lot, Rapidsview Parking Lot and Niagara Parkway at Kingsbridge Park also have a concentration of cherry trees.
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5. Toronto
When: Late April to Early May
Where: While the cherry-blossom season in Toronto may be swift, the show is truly spectacular. Similar to Vancouver, Toronto was gifted 2,000 Somei-Yoshino Sakura (cherry blossom trees) by Japan in 1959 — honouring the city’s post-WWII support of Japanese Canadian refugees. A good chunk of these poignant “Sakura Project” trees were planted along High Park Trail and near Grenadier Pond.
More groves were later planted near the Children’s Adventure Playground and Hillside Gardens. You can track the progress of the Park’s blooms online at the High Park Cherry Blossom Festival. There are also amazing cherry blossoms to be spotted at Trinity Bellwoods Park, the University of Toronto campus, Centennial Park, and out on the Toronto Islands, which is just a quick ferry trip from downtown at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.
6. Ottawa
When: May
Where: While Ottawa is far from the capital of cherry blossoms (pun intended), it does have a few special spots. Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site‘s Arboretum boasts more than 2,000 varieties of trees and shrubs — including flowering cherry. Some of them date all the way back to the first plantings in 1889. Trails along Dow’s Lake and the Ottawa River Valley also provide pops of pink thanks to pockets of flowering trees.
Note: Need a break from cherry-blossom spotting but are still in the mood for blooms? Every May Ottawa hosts the Canadian Tulip Festival, the world’s largest public tulip display.
7. Montreal
When: May
Where: Oftentimes Montreal is the last Canadian city to see the first signs of spring. But when Montreal does cross that seasonal finish line, it does it with flare. Bold, colourful blossoms hang from flowering cherry, crabapple and magnolia trees, filling the air with their heady scents.
After a long winter, strolls through Westmount Park, Montreal Botanical Garden, Avenue McGill College and Parc Jean Drapeau will lift your spirits and get you in the mood for the brighter summer days ahead.
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