Will the Kariya Park Cherry Blossom Come Out This Year?

Bad news, everyone.

There’s a possibility that this year’s fluctuating weather patterns will prevent Kariya Park’s beautiful cherry trees from blossoming.

According to a recent article in Toronto Life, the High Park Nature Centre and reliably accurate blossom forecaster and Sakura Watch blogger Steve Joniak both said that 2016’s hot-and-cold weather might prevent the lion’s share of buds from blooming into spectacular pink flowers. 

Toronto Life mentions that Joniak wrote, “2016 proved to be such an up and down year that we simply didn’t have enough consecutive warm days to help the trees along. [I]f they are stuck in this cycle long enough, they just forget [blossoming] and let the leaves take over instead.” The news outlet also mentions that the High Park Nature Centre said that, should the buds bloom in mid-to-late May, people could expect fewer flowers than usual.

Since Joniak and the centre were specifically referring to TO’s High Park, we decided to take a trip to Kariya Park to see if our blossoms were set to suffer a similar fate. A city worker at the park told us that yes; the unseasonably cold weather might prevent the trees from blossoming to their usual Instagram-worthy splendor.

As for when they will blossom, we were told that the buds should start blooming — perhaps very modestly, unfortunately — within the next two weeks.

That said, the city recently planted two full-bloom cherry trees (as seen above in the cover shot) that boast the lush pink blossoms we all know and love. So, if you want to take a romantic selfie this weekend, those trees will make a stunning backdrop. Sadly, the rest of the trees still look a little…wintery.

What the trees look like now.

To learn more about Kariya Park (regardless of whether all the trees bloom gloriously, the park itself is still lovely and selfie-worthy), click here.