It seems that the past few weeks of April showers are bringing early May flowers, as Toronto’s cherry blossom trees are beginning to bloom throughout the city!
Over the weekend, the first flowers of the season were spotted outside Robarts Library downtown, attracting crowds of eager Torontonians who came to snap photos and see the blossoms.
As predicted by local expert Steven Joniak of blog High Park Sakura Watch, with several trees already blooming, it’s an indication that the cherry blossoms could reach their peak bloom as early as this week.
His latest update from April 12 reads “The main thing of note is seeing all the trees in late Stage 4, with only a few sunny and warm days needed to push them out into the final blooming stages.”
“I believe we should start to see the full bloom, where at least 75% of the sakura blossoms have opened, starting on April 18 and continuing through the weekend to the 24th,” he writes.
How many blossoms will open depends largely on the weather. The warmer and sunnier it is, the faster the buds will open and bloom.
Each day more blossoms will open depending on the weather–the warmer and sunnier the weather, the faster they will open and bloom.
With a mix of sunny days and more rain in store for the week ahead, the date of their peak bloom remains unknown, but it shouldn’t be much longer now.
Besides High Park and Robarts Library, there are plenty of other parks in and around Toronto to see the cherry blossom trees that should be a bit quieter.
Try heading to Centennial Park, Trinity Bellwoods, Gairloch Gardens, Edwards Gardens, Exhibition Place, and others listed on the City of Toronto website here.