Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation
An Agency of the Government of Ontario
ONTARIO SPRING BLOSSOM REPORT
Thursday May 11, 2017 – this is the 3rd report of the season
Essex County
City of Windsor
If you’re on the hunt for trilliums within close distance to the
city centre, your best bet might be a cruise through Brunet
Park in LaSalle where they should be coming up in
abundance. http://www.lasalle.ca/en/things-to-do/trailmap.asp
Tulips are up in Windsor City Parks such as Dieppe Gardens
and Jackson Park.
White Trillium, Brunet Park, LaSalle
(Stacey MacDonald, OTMPC)
Essex County
Point Pelee National Park
The white trilliums are in bloom in the forest especially on the Woodland Nature Trail.
Wildfower hunters can also find large flowered bellwort, sweet cicely and spring beauty
along the trail. Mayapple is still in full bloom almost everywhere throughout the park.
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/on/pelee
Be sure to check out the Point Pelee Festival of Birds taking place May 1 – 22
throughout the park. friendsofpointpelee.com/festivalofbirds
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Essex Region Conservation Authority
Location: Kopegaron Woods Conservation Area (Leamington, Ontario)
Species flowering:
White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)
Spotted Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Join the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory for bird banding and adoptions THIS
weekend (May 13 & 14) at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area! They'll be on-site from
9am to 3pm demonstrating the art of banding birds. They'll also have snacks and
refreshments for sale!
Shorebird Celebration takes place at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area May 1 – 22
(except Tuesdays) http://erca.org/birding/
Trillium grandiflorum
(Dan Lebedyk, Biologist/Ecologist, ERCA.)
Trillium erectum
(Dan Lebedyk, Biologist/Ecologist, ERCA.)
NIAGARA PARKS, SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL
GARDENS
The timing is perfect during Mother’s Day weekend to take in all of the spring blooms
that can be found throughout the 40-hectare (99 acre) Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens
and School of Horticulture and all along the scenic 56-kilometre Niagara Parkway from
Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Be sure view the spectacular Canada 150th
Celebration Garden Promenade throughout Queen Victoria Park that is comprised of
30,000 festive red and white tulips generously gifted to Niagara Parks by the Canadian
Garden Council and Vesey’s Bulbs of Prince Edward Island.
Cool weather has really helped out on “holding” a lot of mid seasons bloom plants:
highlights this week are tulips! This will be the week to see them. Also a lot of beautiful
flowering trees and shrubs: Lilacs are just beginning; crabapples are at their peak.
Below the escarpment most of the peaches (pink) and cherries (white) are pretty well
finished. Apples and pears (white) are just beginning
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NIAGARA PARKS, SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL
GARDENS (Continued)
mc = multiple colours)
bold = commonly familiar and/or large flowering plant groups)
NEW THIS WEEK
FRUIT TREE BLOSSOMS (primarily below the escarpment)
 Pears – Pyrus – white
 Apples – Malus – white
BULBS
Minor
Major - Tulips – Tulipa – mc –NPBG
HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS (examples)
 Fernleaf peony – Paeonia tenuifolia – deep crimson red – NPBG perennial
border
 Basket of gold – Aurinia saxatilis – golden yellow – NPBG rock garden
 Rock cress – Aubrieta – blue (purple) – NPBG rock garden
 Purple trillium – Trillium erectum – NPBG woodland garden
 Edging candytuft – Iberis sempervirens – white – NPBG
 Japanese primrose – Primula japonica - crimson to purplish red – NPBG
 Common thrift – Armeria maritima – magenta – NPBG
SHRUBS, TREES & VINES (examples)
 Later Japanese cherries: NPBG
o Yoshino cherry - Prunus ×yedoensis – pink later white – NPBG
o Prunus Sato-zakura Group – pink
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Magnolias – NPBG
o Yellow magnolias:
 Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird’
Lilacs – Syringa – mc – NPBG
Redbuds – Cercis – pink to lavender – NPBG
Flowering dogwood – Cornus florida – white (pink) – NPBG
Crabapples - Malus - pink, white – NPBG
Horse chestnuts – Aesculus - pink, white – NPBG
Wisteria - Wisteria – white, pink, blue – NPBG
Flowering almonds –Prunus triloba –pink or white – NPBG
Fothergilla – Fothergilla – white – NPBG
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NIAGARA PARKS, SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE & BOTANICAL
GARDENS (Continued)
STILL IN BLOOM:
BULBS
Minor
Major
 summer snowflake – Leucojum aestivum – white – NPBG hornbeam vista
HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS (examples)
 Siberian bugloss – Brunnera macrophylla – azure blue - NPBG
 Bergenia – Bergenia – pink, carmine red, white - NPBG
 Pasque flower – Pulsatilla vulgaris – violet, (soft pink, deep red, white) –
NPBG
 primrose – Primula – mc – NPBG (e.g. herb garden)
 Violas/ violets – Viola – mc - NPBG (e.g. front entrance)
 Periwinkle – Vinca minor/ V. major - lilac blue – NPBG (e.g. hornbeam
vista)
 Barrenworts – Epimedium – yellow, orange, white – NPBG
 Trilliums – Trillium – white, (brownish purple) – NPBG woodland
garden
SHRUBS, TREES & VINES (examples)
 Rhododendrons & azaleas – mc – NPBG (rhododendron collection)
 Serviceberry – Amelanchier – white –NPBG
 Flowering quince – Chaenomeles – pink, red – NPBG
NIAGARA REGION – St. Catharines, Vineland Station, and the Niagara
Peninsula
Tender Fruit Trees - This is a spectacular blossom touring area of the province.
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Pears are in bloom
Apples are starting to bloom
Tart cherries are in bloom
Peaches are still blooming
ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS - Hamilton
At RBG trees and shrubs in flower include magnolias, Japanese flowering cherries,
chanticleer pear, daphne, quince, corylopsis, spiraea, Oregon grape holly, amelanchier
and forsythia and early lilacs. Bulbs include daffodils, squill, tulips, grape hyacinth,
chionodoxa and puschkinia. Herbaceous perennials include Virginia bluebells, Siberian
barren strawberry, checkered lily, barrenwort, lungwort, mukdenia, pigsqueak primula
and phlox
www.rbg.ca
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South Georgian Bay – Collingwood, Thornbury, Clarksburg
Again this week, Mother Nature has kept the bloom progression slow with the cooler
weather. Many apple varieties are at tight cluster (see photo). Some of the earlier
varieties will be showing a bit pinker. Bloom is still looking like it's about 2 weeks off.
Photo: KW Ferri. TK Ferri Orchards
Toronto - High Park Sakura cherry trees
Cherry blossoms fall throughout High Park after a few consecutive days of rain and
wind shorten the full bloom. Peak, full bloom may be done, but blossom are not over.
All the sakura trees were still showing between 30-50% of cherry blossom flowers still
intact. So there are plenty of opportunities to catch a glimpse of the delicate, beautiful
flowers before they all disappear for another year.
Late bloomers still to come - Of course there are the other variety of sakura blossoms
from the Akebono/Fegunzo trees that still waiting to bloom. These trees are always a
few weeks behind the other cherry blossoms. These flower tend to be larger, rounder
and look more carnation like but are also beautiful to see. Watch for more follow up
updates on these in the coming weeks.
Magnificent magnolias and fiery forsythia - As spring continues to slowly warm up we
can all look forward to many other plants and flowers throughout High Park to begin to
bloom. Two other co-stars of the sakura on Cherry Hill are the one large magnolia tree
an bright yellow forsythia bush are both now in full bloom. Always crowd pleasers, many
people can be seen enjoying both at the top and bottom of the hill respectively.
For the latest updates - www.sakurainhighpark.com
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Ottawa-Gatineau Region –
We have been having a rather cold weather lately; however, tulips are blooming all over
the Capital just in time for the start of the Tulip Festival on May 12th! Tulip gardens can
be found beside Dow’s Lake, along the Rideau Canal, Aberdeen Pavilion, Major’s Hill
Park and Byward Market just to name a few.
The Ottawa downtown area and around is not too touched by the flooding, it is more on
the Gatineau side. Here are two useful websites with updates about the flooding in our
region: http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/older-adults/safety/emergencypreparedness/emergency-notifications-flooding-information#flooding-information,
http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/posts/news/rising-water-level-causes-flooding-on-pathways.
www.tulipfestival.ca
Contact:
Kevin Forget
Travel Promotions Officer
Ontario Travel Information Centres
Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation
21 Mapleview Drive East | Barrie, Ontario | L4N 9A9
W: 705.725.7276 | C: 705.818.2688 | F: 705.725.7275
ONTARIOTRAVEL.NET | #DISCOVERON
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