Cherry blossoms

Japanese plum blossoms outside my parent's house

Right now - this very week, even - is my favourite time of the year.

I blame it on the cherry blossoms.

There's something, almost like a pheromone, that gets released into the air when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and it speaks to me at some sort of primal level, and all I want to do is go outside and bask in the gorgeousness of spring flowers.

Perhaps it's also the Daylight Savings Time taking into effect - it's 6:15pm right now and yet the sky's light and it feels like sunset's hours away - a feeling that screams summer's coming right up and the winter of a few weeks ago is a long forgotten memory.

On Thursday I entered a Twitter contest being held by the City of Vancouver in promotion of the upcoming Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, and found out a few hours that I had won the prize: a book called Ornamental Cherries in Vancouver.

The book features all the species of ornamental cherry tree in Vancouver - its history, how to recognize it, etc. I picked it up from City Hall on Friday afternoon and as geeky as it is, I'm proud to have it in my ever-growing collection of Vancouver books.

Strange cloud formations

Last Sunday around 7:30pm, I noticed a low-lying cloud formation swirling around, morphing over the downtown sky.

Clouds over downtown Vancouver - May 10, 2009

It almost resembled an inverse bubble bath, with big air bubbles trapped in foam. The texture was pretty darn cool and I couldn't resist snapping a few photos from my 22nd floor window.




After an hour, the cloud formation mellowed out and reverted back to an anonymous grey of an overcast sky.

VanDusen Botanical Garden: a local's secret

Laburnum in VanDusen, alive with the sound of bees - May 2005

Vancouver's wet climate and mild temperatures produce some of the most lush, botanically diverse gardens in North America. Because of these conditions, Vancouver's gardens are vibrant and green year round. This is unlike elsewhere in Canada where you'd normally only seek gardens in the spring and summer months. Vancouver's mild temperatures mean that you can visit the local gardens even in the middle of winter and you'll still have plenty of things to see.

Yellow irises - May 2005

You can guarantee that almost every tourist coming to Vancouver knows about Stanley Park. And you'd be surprised at how many tourists come to Vancouver, only to spend their entire time travelling the six hour round trip to see Victoria's Butchart Gardens. But for those garden loving individuals, there is actually another garden here in Vancouver which is equally worthwhile but it often flies under the tourist radar. That garden, dear reader, is VanDusen Botanical Garden.

VanDusen Botanical Garden main entrance - May 2005

VanDusen Botanical Garden (called "VanDusen Gardens" or "VanDusen" by locals) is my favourite garden in Vancouver, and it has to be the one of the city's most impressive as far as botanical gardens go. Formerly a golf course up until 1960, it opened its doors as a botanical garden in 1975.

Floating bridge - May 2005

Though not as famous as Butchart Gardens, it's about the same size but is cheaper and has a fraction of the crowds. It's also convenient to get to as it's located a 12 minute (5 km) drive south of downtown Vancouver - nestled on a massive 55 acre city block in the gorgeous, the prestigious, and the disgustingly pricey residential neighbourhood of Shaughnessy.

The satellite view of VanDusen from Google Maps

If you enjoy horticulture, botany and meandering through tranquil gardens, you'll want to seriously consider a visit to VanDusen. Organized into 55 unique themes, it's more than just pretty flowers. In a way, the garden is set up to be a living museum - every plant, flower, tree, fern is meticulously labeled by its genus and species. It's not just beautiful - it's educational! You'll want at least 2 hours here to give it justice. And don't forget the hedge maze!

Entering the hedge maze - May 2005

In terms of dining, VanDusen has a reputable gourmet restaurant aptly called Shaughnessy for those looking at making a special event out of the visit. They also have a beautiful gift shop. But VanDusen almost acts as a surrogate community centre for the Vancouver community, hosting plant sales, plant shows, car shows, cultural displays, botany/horticulture classes, flower-arranging classes, lectures - you name it.

The lushness of spring flowers - May 2005

This is even more true in December when they host the annual Festival of Lights Christmas light display - the busiest time you'll ever experience at VanDusen! But outside of Christmas time, VanDusen offers a surprisingly quiet environment.

A quiet moment under the canopy of a Japanese maple - May 2005

Although the garden changes with the seasons and is beautiful year round, there's something really special about visiting VanDusen in the month of May. It's at this time of the year when VanDusen becomes magical with intensely coloured rhododendrons and bright yellow laburnum alive with the buzz of bees. The new green foliage appears so vibrant, as if somebody tweaked the saturation in Photoshop. VanDusen in May can feel like you're walking through an impressionist painting - and you feel as though you have the whole garden to yourself.

Korean pavilion in the Sino-Himalayan garden at VanDusen - May 2005

The tail end of cherry blossom season

The last of the cherry blossoms - Davie Street, Yaletown

Last night around 9pm (almost serendipitously timed to the Canucks loss), there was a sudden and intense storm with hurricane-like winds blowing sheets of rain down the city streets. The surface of the roads turned to rivers in an instant.

We stood in the solarium and watched waterfalls spill down our windows. Those out on the town, unfortunate enough to be caught outside, could be heard shrieking as they ran for cover.

Now this kind of weather is not out of place if it were November, but you typically don't get that kind of intensity here in the spring. You get that in Texas or Montreal or Alberta, not coastal BC. Climate change strikes again.

After brunch this afternoon we ran into our friend Patrick who also commented on the strangeness of last night's event. He said he was watching the storm from his balcony, and moments before the rain fell, he was admiring the blossoms swirl up and through the streets, like the plastic bag dancing through the air in American Beauty.

While most of Vancouver's cherry trees lost their blossoms weeks ago, there's still one late blooming species with puff-ball like blossoms which still cling to their branches. I decided to see how they fared after last night's storm, and surprisingly, it was a lot better than I had anticipated. But as these final cherry blossoms fall, it signifies the tail end of cherry blossom season as we approach that ambiguous boundary between spring and summer in Vancouver.

Cherry blossoms

Cherry blossoms at Burrard Station - April 6, 2009

After an unseasonably cold long winter, it's finally spring in Vancouver. This is possibly my favourite season in the entire year as it's when all the cherry blossoms are in bloom and the air has such a lush, enticing smell. The weather for the most part has been quite lovely. This past week we've been having temperatures of up to 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) during the afternoon. The past few days during the Easter long weekend, it's been raining on and off, but the air is still breathtaking with that sweet smell of blossoms.

Vancouver must be home to one of the largest amount of Japanese cherry and plum trees in North America. All the residential side streets are lined with them and it's at this time of the year when people go out of their way to witness this short-lived spectacle of pink.

In 2005, the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival was founded to celebrate our love of the cherry blossoms. The 2009 festival started on March 28 and continues until April 24. Featuring a wide variety of free activities around the city - from haiku contests, photo contests, organized bicycle rides, organized walks through the gardens, and musical performances, to the more traditional aspects of Japanese sakura culture - it's a great excuse to get out and experience this magical time of the year.

For those wishing to seek out the blossoms on their own, the festival has a cherry blossom viewing map which highlights what species are growing in each neighbourhood. But even then, you don't have to go anywhere in particular - just walk around the city and you'll find cherry blossoms in the least expected of places. Last Monday I found myself at Burrard Station downtown where the cherry blossoms were at peak display, changing the mood of the busy skytrain/bus station into that of awe and wonder.