History of Cherry Blossoms in The Lower Mainland
By Brynn Cassells
A spring walk is a welcome break to many residents of the Lower Mainland as winter’s chill begins to wane. We enjoy the brisk fresh air, thick dew on fresh green grasses, leaving heavy coats at home, and perhaps most of all, the flush of spring flowers. Queen among the flowers of spring are the pink and white cherry blossoms that grass our parks and roads for a few brief weeks in late March and early April.
Where did the trees that line our streets and add a touch of colour to our parks come from? They can be seen throughout the greater Vancouver Area including outside the POMO Museum, lining the Venosta Rail Car. The answer might surprise you. In the 1930s the Mayors of two Japanese cities, Kobe and Yokohama, gifted the Japan Society of Vancouver 250 cherry blossom trees to go towards the 500 planted in Stanley Park. This gift was meant as a reminder of friendship and peace between Canada and Japan. In the fall of 1942 seven hundred more blossom trees were planted in Queen Elizabeth Park and the citizens of the Lower Mainland have never looked back.
These trees were a gift to the Board of Park Commissioners, made by the Japanese consul a few years before. The city of Vancouver now boasts a massive 43, 000 cherry blossoms across the city; even more span The Lower Mainland. In 2006, the very first Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival commenced, created and organized by Vancouver native, Linda Poole.
Inspired by the Sakura Festivals in Japan, and her experience of living abroad for 13 years, Linda strove to bring a little piece of Japanese culture back to Canada. The festival has grown to include Bike the Blossoms tour, Blossom Block Party, Blossoms After Dark, The Big Picnic, and more. The goal of these events is to invite denizens of The Lower Mainland to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the blossoms.
There is no need to travel to downtown Vancouver to see these trees though, as Port Moody itself has some of its very own. Not only the aforementioned POMO trees, but also 100 Newport Dr. in front of the Port Moody Public Library boasts a gorgeous display of Akebono cherry blossoms, as does 17 Forest Park Way. The Akebono variety blooms from about March 18th to April 1st of each spring.
Another spot to blossom watch is on Heritage Mountain Boulevard, at the corner of Ioco Road and Ungless Way. The trees found here are called Shiro-fugen and are in bloom from roughly April 11th to April 30th. Although there are 55 different types of cherry blossom trees in The Lower Mainland, the three most common ones are the Akebono, Shiro-fugen, and Kanzan varieties. These trees bloom each spring, welcoming you to a new season.
POMO Museum has a small grove by our historic Venosta Train car in full bloom from about the first of April. It is a beautiful backdrop for photography and frames the train wonderfully. Tom, our dedicated garden volunteer, helps us track the varieties that grow here as he cares for the trees, shrubs, and other plants on the museum grounds.
The next time you take a walk and catch these blossoms out of the corner of your eye, take a moment to remember how they got there, and appreciate them for what they stand for: lasting friendship, peace, and the beginning of a brand-new season.
References:
Japanese Gift Trees Ceremonially Planted. (1932, May 10). The Vancouver Sun, p. 2.
Our Blossom Bounty. The Vancouver Sun, p. 29.
Park Board To Plant Jap Cherry Trees. (1942, April 25). The Vancouver Sun, p. 5.
Poole, L. (n.d.). History. Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. https://vcbf.ca/about-us/history/
Thanks Japan for Gift of 500 Cherry Trees In Stanley Park. (1930, Nov 17). The Province, p. 20.
Whysall, S. (2006, Feb 3).
The cherry trees kept blossoming. (1957, May 11). The Province, p. 6.
Xia Lee, Lui. (2023, March 16). Cherry picking the best spots to enjoy Vancouver’s blooms.
UBC News. https://news.ubc.ca/2023/03/finding-the-best-cherry-blossoms-sakura-trees-in-vancouver/#:~:text=We%20actually%20have%2055%20different,week%20or%20two%20after%20Kanzan.
Yedo, S. (1931, April 30). Japanese-Canadian Friendship Cemented. The Vancouver Sun, p. 37.
