Sakura in Kariya Park

Seriously! How does this happen? 

One minute we are freezing, icing up our house windows as we stare longingly outdoors, straining to spot signs of spring...and hope...and renewal...and most importantly warmth! Then, next thing you see the trees fully laden with leaves, flowers are bursting with blooms and baby animals are scurrying around trying to catch up to mom and dad. 

This year, I somehow missed the transition period of winter to spring. And it's actually my most favourite time of year, because it has so much exciting hope wrapped up in each new bud and each sprouting stem. I too feel like I'm getting a rebirth with the transition of the seasons. Sure, I make New Year's resolution-like plans each January, but in the dark, cold months of winter those plans, as well intentioned as they may be, don't feel possible until the weather starts to change and people start getting outside more. There just feels to be so much possibility in the spring. Is it just me?

To start off my season of hope, for the last two year, I've been partaking in Hanami, which is the act of enjoying the sakura (cherry blossoms) usually with a picnic under the trees. This is a tradition from Japan that is wildly popular and with clusters of these cherry trees all over the GTA (and Canada generally) it is likewise here too. Last year I spotted some of these trees on the side of a road in Brampton and stopped by to enjoy them in my own city. The year before I went to High Park to join everyone else in seeing them there.

Like spring, the sakura are super ephemeral and disappear as quickly as they come. Kariya Park in Mississauga will already look so different from when I took these photos just a couple weeks ago.

There are enough places to enjoy sakura in Toronto and the area, that I think for the next few years I'm set for different places to go for this very brief spring happening.

Do you have a springtime ritual?

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Sakura Trees of Brampton

You know when something comes onto your radar and then everywhere you look, there's that thing? I feel like Sakura trees aka cherry blossom are that thing for me. A couple springs ago I went to High Park, Toronto to view the blossoms there. Before this first time, I had no idea that this was such a thing here. Now it seems like people count down to the spring blossoming, in fact there is actually a website that does just that. 

Each spring my instagram feed is full of Torontonians frolicking through the paths of High Park, taking pictures of and in amongst the flower laden branches. But I'm a busy person (aren't we all?), I can't just head to Toronto as soon as High Park Nature Centre tells me it's peak blossom time and also Toronto isn't the centre of the universe (I know, that's an incredible statement but it's true). All kinds of Sakura trees can be found a short drive from Toronto and I was super excited to find out that one of these locations is actually at a local park, Joyce Archdekin Park located on Main Street South, Brampton. 

Not wanting to miss out on the cherry blossom grams I got my butt down there as quickly as I could and snapped my own blossom selfies. It wasn't as busy as High Park, but it certainly was not a secret. 

Check it out...

A sure sign spring is on it's way and the promise of so much warmth and sunshine. Bring on the season!

What flower do you most enjoy popping up in spring?

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Those Bloomin' Trees; Sakura in High Park

Like everyone and their mother, on a warm hazy weekend morning I found myself heading to High Park in Toronto to view the Japanese cherry blossoms. Many of these trees have been here since the 1950s, but for some reason this spring seemed to be on everyone's radar and on everyone's agenda to check out.

The original 2000 Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees (sakura means cherry blossoms) were gifted to the city of Toronto on behalf of the displaced Japanese Canadians that were welcomed here after the Second World War. In 1984 a grove of more trees were donated to the people of Toronto from Yoriki and Midori Iwasaki and again additional trees were plated in 2001 and 2006. They can be found throughout much of the park.

The white with slight pink blossoms have a very short bloom time (usually from 4-10 days occurring around the end of April beginning of May) and often seen as a metaphor for life itself: "luminous and beautiful, yet fleeting and ephemeral".

The Japanese tradition of flower viewing, Hanami, dates back to the 8th century and was limited to elite and nobility classes. Today, everyone can take part in hanami and often gather in groups to walk among the blossoms or hold feasts under the trees.

According to the handy High Park Cherry Blossom watch website the blossoms have all since fallen and the growing season has begun, until next spring.