We’ve reached the first week of spring in Toronto, and despite the flurries, there are already budding (pun intended) signs of the season! After an unseasonably warm winter, Toronto’s resident Sakura tracker is reporting cherry blossom buds are developing ahead of schedule in the city — and he’s predicting a mid-April bloom.
Sakura Steve (also known as Steve Joniak) visited the buds in High Park this week and noted that the buds appeared to be nearing the end of Stage 2 — which is usually on average 16-22 days before peak bloom. Joniak also noted that the buds are soon moving into Stage 3, when the green buds start showing florets
It looks like Toronto isn’t the only one experiencing an early bloom. “The global trends have been showing that other popular sites around the world such as Tokyo, Washington and even Vancouver have all been blooming earlier all thanks to the milder and warmer winters we’ve been experiencing around the world,” he wrote.
Though we’ve had flurries all week and weather in the negatives, Joniak said that the cherry blossoms should be unaffected. “The sakura trees’ buds are still in their protective casings, so they shouldn’t be too affected by this weather.”
Joniak said this is the mildest winter he’s seen since he started his website to track the blossoms since 2012. Since tracking the Sakura trees, the earliest bloom Joniak has witnesses was in 2012, when they bloomed from April 10-17. Last year, peak bloom began on April 20.
Climate experts credit this warm weather to El Niño — a climate pattern that refers to the warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. An El Niño event can produce changes in weather, causing above-normal temperatures in North America. Studies have also shown that human-caused global warming is influencing the climate pattern, which already brings excessive rainfall and flooding in some areas and dry conditions that lead to tropical forest fires in others.
Right now, temperatures around 7-9 C are in the forecast for next week, so the blossoms should continue to bloom on schedule for Joniak’s predicted mid-April peak bloom.
There are Sakura trees all over Toronto, so we’ve rounded up five of the best places in Toronto to spot the cherry blossoms when the bloom begins. Last year, the city of Toronto restricted vehicle access and parking within High Park for the duration of peak bloom, so prepare to head over on foot or on bike when the cherry blossoms bloom.
High Park
High Park is a staple spot for people to spend time outside, enjoying a walk, picnic and, around this time of year, cherry blossoms! The trees grow along the park’s main path, allowing you to step off the sidewalk and snag a few photos before continuing on your way. Standing at a whopping 399 acres, High Park is chock-full of different rare plant species. Within the grounds are also rare black oak savannah, moist red oak and hemlock forests. So feel free to adventure all over, searching for flowers at different stages of growth!
Trinity Bellwoods
For some of the best cherry blossom photos with the C.N. Tower in the background, head over to Trinity Bellwoods. These trees are placed scarcely, spanning across a 38-acre lot of land. Most of the trees can be found on the circular path, which resides in the southern portion of the park. Around here are benches and copious amounts of shade, allowing you to sit underneath one of these beautiful trees and enjoy Toronto’s incredible spring scene.
Yorkville Park
A bit of a hidden sakura gem, and a personal favourite of mine, is Yorkville Park. The trees are grown in linear succession, placed outside of cafes and fashion boutiques. Here is where you’ll have the best opportunity to sit and relax under the trees with minimal camera attention from strangers. Shops in this area range from large, well-known brands such as Lululemon and Chanel to small boutiques like 119 Corbo and Free People. Feel free to kick back, enjoy a coffee and maybe drop some dough. At least the fit pics afterward will be killer!
Centennial Park
This particular park has the second-largest collection of cherry blossoms in Toronto, next to High Park. The park holds over 200 trees that are scattered across the entirety of the land. The highest concentration can be found in the garden closest to Rathburn Road and Centennial Park Boulevard. The park is home to athletic activities galore. Within its grounds are playgrounds, soccer fields, baseball and softball diamonds, a wading pool and even a BMX bike park!
Exhibition Place
This may surprise some, but cherry blossoms are scattered around one of Toronto’s most fantastic attractions. Exhibition Place features around nine marked sections where sakura grows, with the majority residing in the northeastern part of the area. The highest density can be found near the kid-friendly Medieval Times show or the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex. While searching for sakura, why not check out a Toronto F.C. game?