It’s really hard to get the timing right with cherry blossom. When the lovely grove of pink cherries at the south of Regent’s Park flowered early this year, in mid-March, I thought I‘d blown it. But no! I visited the park yesterday and it was perfect timing – I even caught the avenue along Chester Road in full flower which I’ve never managed to do before. So I decided to share it all with you in my Regent’s Park cherry blossom virtual tour. The tour starts at the south-eastern corner of the English Garden (bottom right on the park map, near Regent’s Park tube station) with this heavily laden pink tree. (note to Regent’s Park – it would be great if you could label the trees with their varieties like Kew do).
Follow the path diagonally through the Park, passing a variety of trees in full bloom.
At the top, head slightly right for these groves of trees, popular with picnickers seeking the true hanami experience of eating and drinking under the cherry blossom.
Go over the hill and through a small gate onto Chester Road for the full effect of the cherry blossom avenue.
2015 Alert – the cherry trees on Chester Avenue are being replaced, so there will be no blossom on the avenue in 2015. New trees will be planted for 2016. You can help by sponsoring a cherry tree (or part of one, at least – a whole tree costs £1776). More details.
Walk up Chester Road to the Chester Road Gate to Queen Mary’s Garden.
Go through the gate and look back at the avenue.
Then take a stroll across the rose garden (not much to see now but wait for June!) and look to the right for this tree on the far side of the bridge.
Then wander around the southern edge of the garden for more cherry trees.
And, as a grand finale, end up at the Jubilee Gate for a swathe of white blossom.
These photos were taken on 5th April 2014 (except for the Jubilee Gate one which was taken on 9th April), so if you want to catch the Regent’s Park cherry blossom get down there now!
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Beautiful. I walked through the rose garden and along Chester Road on Friday afternoon around 3pm. I’m looking for myself in the background of your photos!
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So close! But I was there on Saturday, not Friday. Maybe we’ll run into each other on the Marylebone photo competition trail!
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Simply stunning – there isn’t quite anything like an avenue of Cherry trees in blossom.
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Yes, only it’s so hard to get them all in one photo!
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These are beautiful. Do you have someiyoshino in London, I wonder?
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Yes, but only a little. If you look at my previous post on cherry blossom at Kew, theres a photo of Prunus × yedoensis which is someiyoshino.
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That’s good as it’s what we associate with cherry blossom viewing. The other fuller layered ones are beautiful but I think we think that someiyoshino may be more subtle and elegant…
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I think it is ‘Kwanzan’! Lovely!
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Thanks! 🙂
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You are welcome! It is a beautiful flowering cherry tree and it doesn’t fruit!
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Enchanting!
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🙂
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Gorgeous pics. London is just blossoming with Cherry and Plum Blossoms at the moment!!
Claire xx | somewhere… beyond the sea
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It certainly is!
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Nature’s magic, thanks for sharing for those of us who can not make this particular walk. All kinds of trees are blossoming here in The Netherlands too, but it changes fast, you have to catch the right moment, which you really did here!
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You have to strike it lucky with cherry blossom!
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Walking to my local library (in Norwich) yesterday evening I noticed several double white cherries in somebody’s garden I’d never seen in flower before – do you think this year has been a very, very good year for cherry blossom? It certainly looks like a bumper display in your beautiful photos.
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I think you could be right. Or maybe we just hit the right moment. Cherry blossom is so fleeting!
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Ah yes, the pleasure of the ephemeral.
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Many thanks for the guided tour of Regents Park. I managed to squeeze in seeing blossom at Regent’s Park last Wed 9th April. It was a gorgeous day and I followed your instructions to the letter! Unfortunately I’ll miss Kew Gardens but will try next year. I’m even thinking of going to Japan!! Thanks again for all your time and effort – it was a lovely thing to do! 🙂
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Thank you so much for letting me know you found the virtual tour useful! Good luck with Kew next year – it’s lovely in the spring. And cherry blossom time in Japan is very special. Let me know how you get on! 🙂
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So beautiful! I’m going to London May 5th, do you know if that’s too late to see these beautiful trees?
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I’m sorry, but I don’t think the cherry blossom will be in bloom then. But there are plenty of other lovely flowers to see.
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