This is the bigger of our two cherry trees (and pretty much the view from my stash room window just now); this one was planted within days of our moving into the house. Its flowers are not the elegant pale singles, but the ball-like flowers in mid-pink. This morning around 70% of the flowers were in bloom. The other, smaller tree flowers soon after this one finishes.In Japan, from mid-March onwards, news programs and the papers report how much of the cherry blossoms are in bloom in the various regions, so it's possible to follow the cherry season from the south to the north over four to six weeks. Here in New Zealand, cherry trees have been known to flower twice a year, as this one has perhaps every three years. It didn't flower last autumn in a big way, but it continued to have two or three flowers throughout the winter!
Even though these ball-like flowers are sturdier than the singles, the petals are fragile and are prone to be blown away in the wind. It just so happens also that exactly when our cherry trees are in flower, it rains and blows a lot.
This post is for Keropok Man; here's your cherry tree, and no, this one doesn't fruit.
Flowers throughout the winter, eh? I'm sure that was in support of your Wellington-ian effort... :)
ReplyDeletePer, we're supposed to be warmer than Welly, but perhaps not this spring. Flowers were blooming all over Wellington and the sweet smell wafting from every little bend in the corner, and it was absolutely lovely. Here, it's just starting, I think, though my garden is dark and cold so everything blooms up to a month after everybody else's place. Still, it's been a nice homecoming.
ReplyDeleteHow delightful to see the delicate flowers beginning. At our other house we had a flowering plum that lost its petals so fast because of the wind too. It looked a bit like snow on the ground. Pretty but sad that it was over so soon.
ReplyDeleteThe blossoms are tiny bit more open today, and it makes the whole tree look whiter. It does look like snow, especially at night, Sue.
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