Comments on: Cherry blossom season in Berkeley

By: Napinod

Napinod — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:18:00 +0000

I need to photograph cherry blossoms, can anyone give me some streets or parks where they are blooming now, Wednesday April 13?

By: Cherries, plums, wisteria: A Berkeley of nature lovers – Berkeleyside

Cherries, plums, wisteria: A Berkeley of nature lovers – Berkeleyside — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:03:51 +0000

[...] AJ Arora had chanced upon a February thread on Berkeleyside about cherry blossoms. On February 5, readers had chimed in on the appearance of blossoms on these [...]

By: Peggy

Peggy — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:18:13 +0000

Plum blossom is one of the major motifs in Chinese art. Plum trees can bloom in snow on rocky hillsides in China; they bloom in adversity and are therefore admired for their heartiness. You’ll notice they usually bloom in early February here, right around Chinese New Year and that is no coincidence. We almost always have a week or two of warm weather/false spring then and they pop – then it starts raining again. I adopted my daughter in China 16 years ago and got home Feb. 2 that year. Her Chinese middle name means plum blossom; we got home and 2 days later all the plum trees outside our house on Dana St. at Carleton bloomed. It was a wonderful welcome home. It makes me happy every year. There is some gorgeous wisteria on Mariposa, one of the most beautiful streets in Berkeley.

By: AJ Arora

AJ Arora — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:30:54 +0000

Wow! Thanks Maureen!

By: AJ Arora

AJ Arora — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:30:08 +0000

Ahh– thanks anyway Frances. There’s a Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown the next 2 weekends, so that should be nice :) Perhaps there will still be some blossoms on the ground in the tea garden.

Do you know of good places for wisteria in Berkeley? Cheers!

By: Maureen Burke

Maureen Burke — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:29:50 +0000

Filoli on the peninsula is nearly a month later than Berkeley in bloom time. I bet their weeping cherries in the walled garden are peaking. You can also show her the Japanese tree peonies developed by Mr. Domoto that are growing there. There are many wonderful Japanese plants in the UC Botanical Garden Asian section, including those amazing Arisaemas. Strybing Arboretum has some cherries as well, but bloom time may be over. But nearby along the major road (Kennedy Dr?) is a long line of Japanese styrax and those are worth a look, too. Finally, Hakone Gardens in Saratoga is a charming Japanese garden with cherries among other lovelies.

By: Frances Dinkelspiel

Frances Dinkelspiel — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:09:48 +0000

AJ, I think you may be too late. I believe it’s more wisteria season now rather than cherry blossom season.

By: AJ Arora

AJ Arora — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:47:31 +0000

Does anyone have the address/location of this Cherry Blossom (or another one in Berkeley or SF)?

I’m dating a Japanese girl who was reminiscing about the cherry blossoms in Tokyo this time of year…and I thought it would be great to take her to one around here.

Thanks so much!!

By: Dana

Dana — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:28:03 +0000

The off-white blooms on a magnolia tree I noticed yesterday resembled eggs perched on the branches!

By: Becca

Becca — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:50:42 +0000

This morning on my dogs’ walk, a tree with white blossoms was so fragrant that it stopped me in my tracks. And the dogwoods are starting to bloom, too.