High Park's cherry blossoms reach peak bloom today. Here's how long it will last
The cherry blossoms in High Park are expected to bloom right on schedule this week.
Peak bloom, which is when more than 70 per cent of the blossoms are open, is expected to begin on April 22 and last for about four to 10 days depending on the weather conditions.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“We are on track, we are on schedule,” Rohith Rao, fundraising and communications director at the High Park Nature Centre, told CTV News Toronto last week. “Peak bloom typically happens between late April and early May and we are still on that schedule.”
Rao said that if the city has cooler temperatures during the peak bloom period people will be able to see the blossoms for a longer period of time, which is what happened last year.
“If it is warmer than the flowers progress quicker and you will have a relatively short period of peak bloom,” he said. “It typically lasts for a week and then you start to see the flower petals start falling off.
Japan’s ambassador to Canada, Toru-Hagiwara, gifted the city 2,000 Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees in 1959 on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War.
The blossoms now typically draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the park every year. The blooms are a great sign of the arrival of spring, Rao said.
The blossoms are heavily dependent on the late winter and early spring temperatures. Rao said that they initially progressed quickly due to very warm temperatures.
“But then later in the week, we had really cool weather and overcast conditions so that slowed down the process a little bit,” he said.
Currently, the blossoms are stage four of the blooming process, which is when the flower stems get longer and the individual blossoms can be clearly seen. The blossoms are very vulnerable to frost at this point.
During the next stage, which happens typically four to six days before peak bloom, fluffy white Sakura blossoms emerge with each flower opening at different times.
At the final stage, stage six, peak bloom begins with the majority of blossoms open.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Nicki Minaj detained by police in Amsterdam for allegedly possessing soft drugs
American rapper Nicki Minaj said she was held at Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Saturday on allegation of possession of soft drugs.
American Airlines drops law firm that said a 9-year-old girl should have seen camera on toilet seat
American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a nine-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.
Public safety minister pledges to 'massively' reduce auto theft
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insists the federal government is 'doing everything (it) can' to eliminate auto thefts in Canada, and he hopes to see 'a significant reduction quickly' following this week's announcement of new measures to counter the problem.
Three dead after vehicle leaves road in Shediac: N.B. RCMP
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
More enoki mushrooms, Lamborghini Urus and promotionally-gifted tumbler cups: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued various recalls this week. Here's what you need to know.