Cherry Blossoms Return To Brooklyn Botanic Garden: What To Know

BROOKLYN, NY — Spring has officially sprung at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The first of the garden's iconic cherry blossoms have officially bloomed, marking the first time since 2019 that New Yorkers can stop by and enjoy the renowned collection.

"Last spring, during the Garden’s closure due to COVID-19, the renowned ornamental cherry collection bloomed without an audience," BBG wrote in a release. "This year, hanami—the Japanese cultural tradition of savoring every moment of cherry blossom season—returns to the Garden."

The first cherry blossoms of the season were spotted last week on trees on the Cherry Walk and in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, according to the garden.

The trees are among more than 200 planted in BBG that, along with more than two dozen cultivars, make the cherry blossom collection one of the most diverse of its kind in an American botanic garden.

This year, the annual Sakura Matsuri festival that celebrates the collection each spring is still on pause, but BBG has set up other ways for visitors to join in the season.

First, their hours will be extended until sunset from April 17 through May 9.

Also starting April 17, BBG will begin Art in the Garden: Spring Weekends, a series of pop-up music and dance performances over the course of four weekends throughout the season.

The weekend pop-up — put on with the Haiti Cultural Exchange, FiveMyles, Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Brownstone Jazz, and the Brooklyn Public Library — will include more than 20 performances spread throughout the botanic gardens that are free with garden admission.

Visitors can also track the cherry blossom display on the garden's CherryWatch page.

"This map provides up-to-the-petal blooming status for each tree in the main collection, as well as detailed information about each cultivar," according to the garden.

Find out more here.