We are delighted to again be welcoming the Cherry Blossom season this year. We have several hundred Cherry Blossom trees throughout the park which you will see as you wander the 2km walk.

All cherry trees have flowers and cherry trees are found all around temperate regions of the northern hemisphere.  

The flowering cherries that we associate with flower festivals are all from the far east, mainly Japan. These trees have been celebrated for more than a thousand years and so, naturally, many different forms and hybrids have arisen from the local wild species and the best of these have been selected and cultivated for planting in the wonderful parks and gardens of China, Japan and Korea.  More recently - in the last couple of hundred years or so - plant collectors have introduced many of these trees into gardens around the world.

All flowering cherries are in bloom before the leaves emerge.  Some of the very early species, like the Taiwan Cherry, flower in late July and very early August.

Several well known cherries have been developed in New Zealand, among which Prunus 'Awanui' is perhaps the best known. It has single pink blossoms that cover the crowns in a pink froth.  Other locals include Prunus 'Mountain Ice' and P. 'Mountain Haze'

Here at the Sculpture Park and Arboretum we have more than 90 Awanui cherry trees, a dozen or so Mountain Ice and Mountain Haze and several Shiro Fugen.  Taiwan cherry seedlings are springing up in lots of unexpected places around the Park - the Tui just love this extra source of tucker - in fact, there seen to be so many trees for them to feed from that they forget about quarrelling among themselves.

There are  about 150 flowering cherries here at the Park.  There are whites and pinks, singles and doubles from very early in the season to the peaking in mid September and with luck, lasting for to around the middle of October.