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O-Hanami : see (mi) the flowers (hana) Picnic under the cherry treesWe have compiled a list of popular picnic spots in Vancouver where you may want to hold your own hanami. None of the parks listed have picnic tables close by, so taking a chair or blanket is highly recommended. If you only have time to visit one park during blossom season, the Yoshino cherry trees in full bloom at the West entrance of Queen Elizabeth Park are spectacular. On a warm, sunny afternoon this is one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing places in Vancouver. This list is by no means complete. We will be adding more picnic spots around Vancouver as we discover them. Depending on the weather, cherry blossoms can bloom for seven to fourteen days and then the petals start to fall like snow leaving a carpet of pink and white on the ground. If we do not have high winds a few of the late-season cherries like the Shirofugens can bloom for as long as three weeks. Flowering months listed here are typical dates during a normal year. But these dates can change depending on numerous factors including rainfall, temperature and cloud cover. During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games there will be road closures and parking restrictions around the City. Specific dates and details of the road changes are now posted at http://olympichostcity.vancouver.ca/gettingaround/road-parking-restrictions/ Celebrate the beautiful cherry blossoms around the City: |
Select a Hanami picnic location for detailed description: Whitcomb Flowering Higan Accolade Akebono' and Somei-yoshino University of British Columbia - Nitobe Memorial Garden University of British Columbia - Lower Mall Shirotae and Yoshino Japanese Canadian WW1 War Memorial Stanley Park Kanzan Mikuruma-gaeshi Shirofugen 7-day weather forecast Environment Canada Web site (external link) About Ornamental Cherries Guide to Vancouver Ornamental Cherry trees Cherry blossom resources Please read 
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Mid-February to early March
Tisdall Park
6210 Tisdall Street at West 49th Avenue
Blooms late February to early March - Higan Cherry - Whitcomb (Prunus
subhirtella 'Whitcombi')
More suited to a tailgate picnic, worth viewing
are the twenty-two Whitcomb Cherry trees planted in one row along the
Ash Street side of the park producing clouds of delicate pink blossoms
every spring.
The blossoms appear before the leaves. These trees can grow to eight meters high and nine meters wide.
Three lovely older Cherry trees at the condominium at the southwest corner of Ash Street and West 45th Avenue are sometimes in bloom at the peak of the Whitcomb on this street.
There is no food concession, public restroom or water tap. Picnic tables are located on the other side of the park along West 49th Avenue.
You can pick up food at Oakridge Centre and picnic on a wooden bench in the park. Oakridge Center is in the same block as the park between West 41st and West 45th Avenue.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 15 eastbound. Get off at Cambie and West 45th Avenue and walk west on West 45th Avenue to Ash Street. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
More about Prunus subhirtella 'Whitcombii'...
Early March
Vancouver City Hall
At West 12th Avenue and Cambie Street
Blooms early March - Accolade (Prunus 'Accolade')
The Accolade flowering Cherry blooms approximately
seven to ten days after the Whitcomb Cherry tree.
One does not see many Accolade Cherry trees in Vancouver. However, several are planted at the north entrance to City Hall.
The deep rose pink buds open to semi-double blossoms with twelve to fifteen blush pink petals drooping in large clusters of three before their dark green leaves emerge.
Bring your lunch and sit on one of the wooden benches next to the Accolades. If you sit under its branches you can look up into the mass of pink blossoms.
There is no food concession at City Hall. Access to public restrooms and water taps weekdays only. Food can be obtained across the street at City Centre Square.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 15 eastbound. Get off at Cambie and West 12th Avenue crossing the street to City Hall. The Accolade's are on the north side of the building so walk through the parking lot to the back of the building. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
Mid-March to mid-April
Vancouver Museum
1100 Chestnut Street at Vanier Park
Blooms mid to late March - Yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis)
Note: Pay parking is in effect
Yoshino Cherry trees greet you when you enter
the parking lot. The courtyard at the back of the Museum with wonderful
views of downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park make this a popular spot
for hanami and photography.
The correct name for this flowering Cherry is Somei-yoshino but has been exported under the name Yoshino Cherry since the early twentieth Century. It does not originate from the Yoshino region of Japan, but rather from a cherry nursery in the Japanese village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo).
There is no food concession so bring your own food. Access to public restrooms or water taps in the building only when the Museum is open. Please check their Web site for hours or telephone 604-736-4431.
The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is located in the same building as the Museum.
Vanier Park with its waterfront lawn is the best place in Vancouver to fly kites.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 2 or 22 southbound. Get off at the first stop after the Burrard Street Bridge and walk north on Chester Street towards the mountains to the Park. To go back to downtown Vancouver take bus number 22 from Cornwall and Cypress Street on the south side of Cornwall. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
University of British Columbia - Nitobe Memorial Garden
at Memorial Road and Lower Mall
Blooms mid to late March - Yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis)
Note: Pay parking is in effect and there is an entrance fee
Nitobe Memorial Garden
is a serene, Japanese traditional garden of understated beauty. Flowering
Cherries include two Yoshino trees that produce a great profusion of single
white or light pink blossoms that create the effect of pink and white
clouds before or as the new leaves emerge.
Other Flowering Cherries in the Garden include Kanzan, Ojochin (Lantern Cherry), Joi-Noi, Pink Perfection, Shirofugen and Shogetsu.
Nitobe Garden has so many different shades of green that you may want to photograph it on a cloudy day and if using a film camera, try low contrast film.
The main entrance is located on the east side of the garden on Lower Mall. There is uneven cobbled paving around the entrance area and in various parts of the garden which, can be very slippery when wet.
Please check their Web site for hours and fees or telephone 604-822-9666.
No food or public washroom facilities available at the garden.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take any bus number that states UBC as its destination, for instance, route numbers 4, 17, 25, 43, 44, 49, N17 to "UBC". The Nitobe Memorial Garden is a 10 to 15 minute walk west from the main bus loop. Please consult the campus map near the bus loop. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
More flowering Cherry trees at University of British Columbia...
University of British Columbia - Lower Mall
at Memorial Road and Lower Mall
Blooms mid to late March - Somei-yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis)
Note: Pay parking is in effect
The
Lower Mall at night stops us in our tracks. Fabulous canopy of graceful
spreading limbs, afloat with blossoms, even in the dark.
The twenty-three slightly almond scented Somei-yoshino Cherry trees are very showy with their rounded, spreading, arching forms. Hanging in clusters, the single light pink and white flowers up to 3.5cm in diameter decorate light-gray branches. Two young 'Akebono' Yoshino trees bloom a few days ahead of the other trees. They have replaced two older Somei-yoshino trees that had to be removed in 2007.
The rows of Prunus x yedoensis Somei-yoshino that decorate the Lower Mall came as part of a gift of 400 trees donated to the University of British Columbia by the City of Tokyo and the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce, through Mr. Tanabe of the Japanese Consul in April 1958.1
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take any bus number that states UBC as its destination, for instance, route numbers 4, 17, 25, 43, 44, 49, N17 to "UBC". The Lower Mall is a 10 to 15 minute walk west from the main bus loop. Please consult the campus map near the bus loop. You are walking to the Nitobe Memorial Garden area. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
More flowering Cherry trees at University of British Columbia...
Queen Elizabeth Park
4600 Cambie Street
West entrance at Cambie Street and West 33rd Avenue
Blooms mid to late March - Yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis)
Note: Pay parking is in effect
This
is a public garden to be enjoyed more than once to see the show of blossoms
as they open over time.
Plan your first picnic underneath the graceful Yoshino Cherry trees across the road from the parking lot southwest of the Quarry Garden. Enter off Cambie Street at West 33rd Avenue.
Spread your blanket on the lawn underneath these old trees and enjoy the view of other Yoshino blossoms with their pink and white blossoms in the vicinity.
Seeing this grove of trees at their peak, in full bloom is a breathtaking sight. I am reminded that traditional Japanese values of purity and simplicity are thought to be reflected by flowering cherry blossoms. They are here briefly from about a week to ten days and then they scatter. Like life, they are fleeting.
A low spreading Shirotae Cherry tree (Prunus serrulata 'Mount Fuji') near the parking lot, with fragrant, semi-double, large snow-white blossoms is sometimes in bloom at the same time.
The large Whitcomb (Prunus subhirtella 'Whitcombii') on the hill west of the Large Quarry Garden with its pale pink blossoms is the perfect tree for climbing. Some years, in bloom at the same time as the Yoshino's it is one of the most photographed Cherry trees in Vancouver, usually with someone sitting in it.
If you plan your visit on a warm, sunny weekend do not be surprised to see dozens of photographers taking close-up photographs of the blossoms.
There is no food concession except for the elegant Seasons in the Park restaurant so bring your own food for a picnic. There is access to public restrooms from 9am - 5:30pm located near the parking lot for the Pitch & Putt Golf Course on this side of the park.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 15 eastbound. Get off at Cambie and West 33rd Avenue and cross the street at the stoplight to walk into the Park. The Yoshino's are just before the parking lot. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
Stanley Park - Rose Garden
North end of West Georgia Street
Blooms mid-March to mid-April - 'Akebono' Yoshino Cherry trees (Prunus
x yedoensis 'Akebono')
Note: Pay parking is in effect
The
formal Rose and Shakespeare Gardens provide wonderful views of flowering
cherry trees and other blooms in the spring. It is recommended you visit
more than once to see the blossoms as they begin, open, flourish and fade.
The 'Akebono' Yoshino trees are actually planted in the Shakespeare Garden along with other examples of tree species referenced in the plays of William Shakespeare.
I am sure it is no coincidence that the Shakespeare Garden is right next to the Rose Garden since the rose (Rose sp.) is referenced over seventy times in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.
There is usually no food concession open this time of the year so take your own food. There is access to public restrooms underneath the Stanley Park (Dining) Pavilion on this side of the park.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 19 "Stanley Park" on the north side of West Pender Street. Get off at the Pipeline Road stop or go right into the park to the main bus loop near the Children's Farm Yard and walk back to the Rose Garden. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
Stanley Park - Japanese Canadian World War 1 War Memorial
Behind the Vancouver Aquarium
Blooms mid to late March - Shirotae (Prunus serrulata 'Mount
Fuji') and Yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis)
Note: Pay parking is in effect
Two
rows of gorgeous white-flowering Shirotae Cherry trees typically bloom
one week after the 'Akebono' Yoshino Cherry trees in the Rose Garden.
The name of this flowering cherry means "snow white" and is sometimes referred to as 'Mount Fuji', 'Kojima', and 'Hosokawa.'
The striking Japanese Canadian War Memorial surrounded by flowering cherry trees was installed at this location in 1920 by the local Japanese community to commemorate Japanese Canadian soldiers who volunteered to fight for Canada in the First World War.
There is usually no food concession open this time of the year so take your own food. There is access to public restrooms underneath the Stanley Park (Dining) Pavilion on this side of the park.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 19 "Stanley Park" on the north side of West Pender Street. Get off at the main bus loop inside the Park and follow the signs to the Aquarium. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
Mid-to-late April
Queen Elizabeth Park
4600 Cambie Street
West entrance at Cambie Street and West 33rd Avenue
Blooms mid-April - Kanzan (Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan')
Note: Pay parking is in effect
The
second picnic in Queen Elizabeth Park is to the left of the Yoshino Cherry
trees sitting under Kanzan Cherry trees in full bloom with petals softly
dropping on the picnic blanket.
Considered by many to be the showiest, this is one of the most popular ornamental Cherry trees in Vancouver. Flowering is extravagant with pom-pom like blossoms borne in hanging clusters of two to five flowers each.
There is no food concession except for the elegant Seasons in the Park restaurant so bring your own food for a picnic. There is access to public restrooms from 9am - 5:30pm located near the parking lot for the Pitch & Putt Golf Course on this side of the park.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 15 eastbound. Get off at Cambie and West 33rd Avenue and cross the street at the stoplight to walk into the Park. The Kanzan's are just past the parking lot on the right hand side. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
Queen Elizabeth Park
4600 Cambie Street
West entrance at Cambie Street and West 33rd Avenue
Blooms mid to late April - Mikuruma-gaeshi (Prunus serrulata
'Mikuruma-gaeshii')
Note: At this time there is still free parking on this side of the park.
The
third picnic in Queen Elizabeth Park is at the southwest section of the
Park off Cambie Street at West 29th Avenue. Due to construction on Cambie
Street, we now enter the Park off Cambie Street at West 33rd Avenue and
turn left at the stop sign to get to the southwest section of the park.
The two Mikuruma-gaeshi Cherry trees are sometimes in full bloom at
the same time as the Kanzans. If not they will be in bloom a few days
later. 
This is an extremely rare Cherry tree in Vancouver and their blossoms are worth seeing.
The name translates as 'The royal carriage returns' after a dispute arose as to whether the Cherry had single or double flowers. Hence the carriage returned to find that the tree bears both single and double light pink flowers.
There is no food concession except for the elegant Seasons in the Park restaurant so bring your own food for a picnic. There is access to public restrooms from 9am - 5:30pm located up the hill near the restaurant and the Bloedel Conservatory on this side of the park.
Bus: From downtown Vancouver take bus number 15 eastbound. Get off at Cambie and West 29th Avenue and cross the street at the stoplight to walk into the Park. The Mikuruma-gaeshi's are to the right just before the lower pond. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
More about Prunus Mikuruma-gaeshi...
Callister Park
2875 Oxford Street at Renfrew Street
Blooms mid-to-late April - Shirofugen (Prunus serrulata 'Shirofugen')
Callister
Park located at Oxford Street from Renfrew to North Kaslo Streets with
twenty-two Shirofugen trees in two groves is the best place we have found
to have a picnic with one of the last Cherry trees to bloom in Vancouver
usually in late April.
The deep pink buds beneath coppery-red leaves open pale pink for a few days, turning pure white for a week or more and finally as the leaves turn green, fading to a pink-cerise colour.
The name of this flowered cherry translates as "white god."
Shirofugens are a very old variety and have been around for at least five centuries. The Shirofugen was one of the first Japanese Cherry trees to be grown in European gardens.
There is no food concession, public restroom or water tap at this Park.
Bus: From downtown Vancouiver take bus number 14 and get off at Hastings and Renfrew Streets. Walk north towards the mountains to Oxford Street. Transit schedules are available at http://tripplanning.translink.ca/ or phone 604-953-3333.
More about Prunus Shirofugen...
References
Straley, Gerald B. 1992. Trees of Vancouver : a guide to the common and unusual trees of the city, University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, BC Canada.
1Varner, C. 2004. A Walk Through Time: The University of British Columbia Campus 1920s-2004. Davidsonia. 15(1):9-14. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http://www.davidsonia.org/taxonomy_menu/1/3?from=20
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Document updated 2010 February 6