After a gruelling winter in Toronto, what better way to celebrate the approach of spring than with a trip to see the sakura cherry blossoms?
It’s common knowledge that the cherry blossoms can be spotted at High Park, but there are plenty of other spots in the GTA to feast your eyes on the beautiful blooms. Which is especially good news if you’re not a fan of big queues of people and selfie-overloads.
Unfortunately, there’s a very short window to catch them (usually the end of April until early May). This year, we’re crossing our fingers for a full two weeks and tentative predictions indicate that having survived the ice storm, we can expect to see them in the next few weeks.
To get you in the mood for those pink petals, here’s a bit of the history behind the sakura cherry blossoms, followed by a rundown of all the best places to spot them.
First, bit of cherry blossom history…
In 1959 the Japanese ambassador gifted the city of Toronto 2,000 sakura trees, the majority of which were planted in High Park. Almost 60 years later, inhabitants of Toronto are still enjoying the resulting cherry blossoms. Several public parks and spaces followed suit with the Sakura Project, which saw more trees planted across the city, keeping the tradition—as well as Japanese-Canadian relations—alive and well.
High Park
It may be a tourist trap come cherry blossom season, but High Park has the highest concentration of blooms in the city. Most of the cherry trees are located around the Hillside Gardens and a few can be found around Grenadier Pond (aka the duck pond).
Sakura in High Park is a website by a local artist and photographer that reports on when and where the trees will bloom in High Park.
Trinity Bellwoods
At the south end of Trinity Bellwoods park, you can see a grove of cherry blossoms that came as a gift from the Consulate-General of Japan in 2010. Volunteers from the Friends of Trinity Bellwoods’ Adopt A Tree program water the young perennials over the summer in Trinity Bellwoods so that we can enjoy them in April-May time.
Centennial Park
This Etobicoke spot has over 200 cherry blossoms – the second only to High Park in the city – scattered across the park. The blooms can be found along Rathburn Road and Centennial Park Boulevard, and also northeast of the Park Conservatory.
Robarts Library
If you’re passing through the Annex, you can soak up cherry blossoms in the company of some of the city’s smartest. The University of Toronto’s Robarts Library is home to 70 sakura trees, which decorate the edge of a path that runs from Harbord Street to Huron Street. Bonus: You’ll only have to share the blooms with a handful of students who are taking a break from the books.
Broadacres Park
Another Etobicoke spot to check out the pink flowers is Broadacres Park. Head to the south-west corner for a glimpse of the 100-trees.
Centre Island
Centre Island has always been a go-to destination for kids and parents in the summer holidays, but a trip across on the ferry in spring can be just as rewarding if you’re looking to catch the transient blooms. You’ll find the cherry trees on the south side of the bridge near the fountain, where they were planted back in 2011.
Woodbine Park
Last year, the Beaches were the lucky latest recipients of the cherry blossoms – a sakura tunnel, no less. The cherry blossom tunnel was planted in Woodbine Park in April 2017 and Ward 32 Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon called upon volunteers to help maintain the new addition. If that wasn’t enough for you, they’re planning a Sakura Matsuri, which is a cherry blossom festival, more details of which will be available this month.
