Toronto's High Park is filled each spring with the soft pink and white flowers of cherry blossoms, blooming from Sakura cherry trees. Thousands of visitors (myself included!) flock down to this park each year to take in their beauty.
Sakura cherry trees were first planted in 1959. Two thousand Japanese cherry trees were presented to the City of Toronto by the Japanese Ambassador to Canada, Toru Hagiwara. These were given as a gift by the citizens of Tokyo in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War. More cherry trees were planted thereafter: in 1984 by Yoriki and Midori Iwasaki as a gift to the people of Toronto; in 2001 through the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto's "Sakura Project"; and in 2006.
The flowers bloom in late April/early May and last only a short while once they reach peak bloom, about 1 week. With blooming periods varying each year, and a small viewing window period, it is great to time one's visit to the park to view this event. Thankfully, there are websites with individuals dedicated to posting updates on their blooms. The ones I check frequently are:
High Park Nature Centre: http://www.highparknaturecentre.com
and personal websites, including:
http://www.sakurainhighpark.com
http://www.highparktoronto.com
Cherry blossoms are a beautiful sight at High Park. It's always such a delight to see them.
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