march – NYC SEASON WATCH

April 8, 2023

April 8, 2023Tagged 2023, bloom, blossom, cherry, cherry blossom, Crocus, flowers, march, Okame, Spring, spring 2023Leave a comment

The past two weeks brought some cold nights. However, the majority were warm temperatures that speed things up. Sometimes even too fast.
While Cherry Blossom hits peak bloom this weekend in the city. It is the right time to plan where to go and watch the cherry blossom around the five boroughs. You can use our guide, which will give you some popular places, besides unique and less crowded ones.
Best places to catch the Cherry Blossom in NYC
Read more to check out what’s in bloom and what’s coming.

April 8, 2023 – Yoshino Cherry trees are in peak bloom. As I mentioned in my previous update, they usually hit peak bloom about two weeks after the peak in Washington DC. This year it was no different. I predicted them to reach their peak on April 8. Warmer temperatures allow them to reach their peak a few days earlier, on April 5, 2023. If you are looking for the best places to watch the Cherry blossom, we create a list just for you:
Best places to catch the Cherry Blossom in NYC
Daffodils can be found all around, and they look beautiful. Check out Hunter’s Point South Park for the beautiful Daffodils Hill. Some of the tulips are out as well. Although the majority are yet to bloom. Kazan cherries also seem close to their pre-bloom stage, and according to the forecast, I assume their beautiful pink flowers will pop out a week to 10 days from now.

Yoshino Cherry

Yoshino Cherry (or Japanese Flowering Cherry) is the one most are looking for, with a bit of almond-scented and whitish-pink blossoms, which bloom in spring on magnificent bare branches.
This week they have reached their six stages all around the city.
Depending on temperatures and wind, their pedals should last about a week before they start to drop on the ground.
The peak bloom in 2022 was on April 8. While this year they reached their peak bloom on April 5.

Here are more pictures from LIC and Williamsburg

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens has published its Cherry Blossom Map Track to see what’s in bloom around the Japanese gardens:
For more information, check their website: https://www.bbg.org/collections/cherries

Magnolia

Saucer Magnolias are blooming, and most of them are in peak bloom, while some are starting to lose their pedals.
Here are pictures of beautiful Saucer Magnolia Trees from LIC and Greenpoint:

Callery Pears

Callery Pears are very popular around the streets of all five boroughs.
Unfortunately, this year the mild temperatures had ruined the blossom of some of the trees, and they skipped the bloom stage and went directly to the one when their green leaves come out. However, you can still spot some in full bloom, while others are half green already.
Although Callery Pears’ bloom is pretty, you may want to keep a distance due to their horrible smell.
Want to know where to see more Callery Pears around the city?

Check out our list of The Most Beautiful Streets with magnificent blossoms in NYC.

Tulips

One of the most anticipated symbols of spring is the tulips. They bloom in street planters, along Park Avenue, and in many other places around the city. Surprisingly, some are already blooming, but many others need more time.

What’s Next?

Crabapples around the city are getting close to full bloom, and their flowers should start open during this upcoming week.
It might be the same with the Eastern Redbuds, which developed many buds, that are just a week away from bloom.

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March 25, 2023

March 25, 2023Tagged 2023, bloom, blossom, cherry, cherry blossom, Crocus, flowers, march, Okame, Spring, spring 2023Leave a comment

While mild temperatures are on the horizon, It seems that March will end with a nice push toward more blooming progression. While Cherry Blossom hits peak bloom this weekend in the city, we should expect it to happen within two weeks from now. It is the right time to plan where to go and watch the cherry blossom around the five boroughs. You can use our guide, which will give you some popular places, beside unique and less crowded ones.
Best places to catch the Cherry Blossom in NYC
Read more to check out what’s in bloom and what’s coming.

March 25, 2023 – Okame Cherry trees are still blooming and look great. These are the first Cherries to bloom with bright pink flowers that give us much joy after a cold winter.
If you are looking for the best places to watch the Cherry blossom, we create a list just for you:
Best places to catch the Cherry Blossom in NYC
Daffodils can be found all around and they look beautiful. I even spotted a few early tulips. However, they were might being potted as flowers already. Here are some pictures I took yesterday at Greenpoint. You can also find a pretty heaping cherry half blooming.

Yoshino Cherry

Yoshino Cherry (or Japanese Flowering Cherry) is the one most are looking for, with a bit of almond-scented and whitish-pink blossoms, which bloom in spring on magnificent bare branches.
This week the buds have reached their second and third stage in some trees.
Depending on the temperatures, you should expect their peak bloom in the city around the first half of April.
The peak bloom in 2022 was on April 8, so if conditions remain the same, we might see that around the same time.
We are looking at six stages until reaching peak bloom:

Green Buds
Florets Visible
Florets Extended
Peduncle Elongation
Puffy White
Peak Bloom

Here’s a picture of cherry buds side by side from March 19 and March 25.

Cherry Blossom – NYC Vs Washington DC

The Cherry blossom in Tidal Basin in Washington DC reached its peak bloom on March 23.

Depending on the weather, It usually takes 2-3 more weeks for NYC to reach its peak bloom.

For comparison, in 2021, cherry blossom in DC reached peak bloom on March 21, while NYC reached peak bloom on April 7.

In 2022, cherry blossom peaked bloom on March 22, while NYC reached the peak bloom on April 8.

If you want more information about the cherry blossom in DC, I recommend following https://cherryblossomwatch.com @cherryblossomwatch for all reports.

Magnolia

Star Magnolias and Saucer Magnolias are blooming and most of them are near peak bloom.
Here are pictures from a beautiful Saucer Magnolia Tree and a Star Magnolia in Greenpoint:

Callery Pears

Callery Pears are very popular around the streets of all five boroughs.
They are very close to blooming and should be in full bloom around the same time in 2022, which was April 4.
Some of them have some open flowers already.
Want to know where to see more Callery Pears around the city? Check out our list of The Most Beautiful Streets with magnificent blossoms in NYC.

Subscribe to stay updated and follow us on Instagram to get more reports, pictures, and videos.

March 19, 2023

March 19, 2023Tagged 2023, bloom, blossom, cherry, cherry blossom, Crocus, flowers, march, Okame, Spring, spring 2023Leave a comment

Yes, only two days till spring.
After a couple of colder weeks, including a cold front and a snowstorm, we finally get some warmer days, and it defiantly starts to feel like spring. More flowers are coming out, and there’s much more to see. Many Daffodils are blooming around the city, and Magnolias are coming out. Okame cherries are in full bloom, and we are looking at the progression of the Yoshino Cherries. While February was much milder and speeded things up, the cold at the begging of March slowed things down, but we are still a bit ahead of where we were last year. Keep reading for some comparison between this year to last year.

March 19, 2023 – Okame Cherry trees are in full bloom. These are the first Cherries to bloom with bright pink flowers that give us much joy after a cold winter.
The following pictures are from McCarren Park in Williamsburg and Central Park.
If you are looking for the best places to watch the Cherry blossom, we create a list just for you:
Best places to catch the Cherry Blossom in NYC

What about the Yoshino Cherry?

Yoshino Cherry (or Japanese Flowering Cherry) is the one most are looking for, with a bit of almond-scented and whitish-pink blossoms, which bloom in spring on magnificent bare branches.
Depending on the temperatures, you should expect their peak bloom in the city around the first half of April.
The peak bloom in 2022 was on April 8, so if conditions remain the same, we might see that around the same time.
We are looking at six stages until reaching peak bloom:

Green Buds
Florets Visible
Florets Extended
Peduncle Elongation
Puffy White
Peak Bloom

We are currently in the first stage, but with the expected warm temperatures, we will see them reach the second and third stages within a week or two.

Cherry Blossom – NYC Vs Washington DC

There are three predictions of when the Cherry blossom will reach its peak bloom in Tidal Basin at Washington DC.

National Park Service: March 22-25.

Washington Post: March 19-23.

NBC Storm Team 4: March 15-20.

They all usually update the predictions during the season.

Depends on the weather, It usually takes 2-3 more weeks for the NYC to reach its peak bloom, .

For comparison, in 2021, cherry blossom in DC had peaked bloom on March 21, while NYC reached the peak bloom on April 7.

In 2022, cherry blossom had peaked bloom on March 22, while NYC reached the peak bloom on April 8.

If you want more information about the cherry blossom in DC, I recommend following https://cherryblossomwatch.com @cherryblossomwatch for all reports.

Magnolia

Last year we experienced a devastating cold front that burned all Saucer Magnolias around the city (as well as in Washington DC).
Luckily, This year the snowstorm came before Magnolia’s flowers popped out, so we hope to see them in full glory.
I was surprised to spot a small Star Magnolia in full bloom.
Here are pictures from a beautiful Saucer Magnolia Tree and a Star Magnolia in Greenpoint:

Callery Pears

Callery Pears are very popular around the streets of all five boroughs.
They are very close to blooming and should be in full bloom around the same time in 2022, which was April 4.

Subscribe to stay updated and follow us on Instagram to get more reports, pictures, and videos.

March 4, 2023

March 4, 2023Tagged 2023, bloom, blossom, cherry, cherry blossom, Crocus, flowers, march, Okame, Spring, spring 2023Leave a comment

Hey everybody! It’s March!

Although it seems like Christmas was just a month ago, it’s March already, and that means that we can feel that spring is here, although it starts on March 20, but, hey, Daylight saving time is only a week ahead. The days are getting longer, and we also expect more warm temperatures upon us. However, March is known as March Madness, thanks to the unpredictable weather it brings. Days can be from the upper 40s up to the lower 70s. We also experience our first snowstorm for Winter 2023, which brought a bit of a white blanket to the city but disappeared in just a few hours. Remember that in April 2018 New York City saw 5.5 inches of snow, which was the heaviest April snowfall since 1982 when the city was dumped with 9.6 inches. So anything can happen.

March 4, 2023 – Hybrid Witch Hazels are deciduous shrubs or small trees, and they are early birds. With yellow spiked flowers, they are the first to bloom in the city. You can find them in many Gardens and parks around all the different boroughs.
While Daffodils and Tulips are still making their progress, Crocus and Snowdrops are the first flowers to appear and create beautiful spots in white, yellow, and purple.

Here are some pictures I took this week from Central Park after the snowstorm. You can see the Crocuses covering the ground, Cornelliancherry Dogwood blooming in yellow, as well as red maples with their spiky red flowers.

What about the Okame Cherries?

After I spotted an early pre-bloom two weeks ago, I returned to see if there’s any development. And there was. Before the snowstorm and the strong wind of this morning, the trees seemed to have more opened flowers. Even if the wind blew the flowers down, there are still enough buds to bring more magnificent pink bloom in the next couple of weeks.

The below pictures are from Williamsburg, Brooklyn: