Brooklyn Botanical Gardens Cherry Blossoms by FreeVerse Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The first cherry blossoms of 2023 are blooming at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Sun and warmth seem like a distant memories, but here's at least one sign spring is not far off
It’s still very much winter outside, but there’s a sign of hope that spring is coming: The cherry blossoms have started blooming at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, marking the start of the viewing season that will stretch out over the next several weeks. In an Instagram post, the BBG said that more than 200 cherry trees will “progress from buds to full flowers to falling petals” across several parts of the 52-acre oasis.
BBG has begun updating daily its CherryWatch page on its website, which provides “up-to-the-petal” blooming status of all the trees. Two trees — Prunus x incam ‘Okame’ trees, to be specific — had sprouted as of Tuesday, with roughly 200 tress of several varieties to go during the “hanami,” the Japanese tradition of enjoying the transient beauty of these blooms.
The apex of the viewing season happens between April 1 and May 15 when the BBG throws its annual “Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Bloom” celebrations that highlights all of its spring offerings. That’s when the BBG opens early and closes later than usual for botanical lovers to take it all in.
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