[Update below] Over the weekend, the city parks blog A Walk In the Park reported that nearly a dozen cherry trees were chopped down outside Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens. The Queens Borough President initially told NY1 the trees were cut down to make room for construction workers building a $21 million dollar project, which will create a glass atrium in the rear courtyard. But when asked about the trees again yesterday, BP Helen Marshall angrily dismissed the earlier explanation out of her office. more ›

The unseasonably warm weather we've been having this winter has really messed things up, and now it may ruin the annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic garden... again. You've probably been spotting the trees blossoming around the city already, and things are no different at the BBG, where their map shows 11 trees currently at "first bloom," and a couple more at "peak bloom" (there are over 200 on their grounds). What does this mean for the festival, held on April 28th and 29th? Many will be past their prime by the time it rolls around. more ›

Did you hear? Global warming's a hoax! The first cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden have bloomed! Thanks to their handy CherryWatch map, we can see that the first bloom has arrived. You're welcome, people who were looking for wholesome first date ideas. more ›

Usually we don't see cherry blossoms until April or May in these parts... but today the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is reporting that some of their cherry trees are in bloom right now. Yes, in December! more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is readying for their Sakura Matsuri cherry blossom festival this weekend, but their star has already faded. The cherry blossom trees are now past peak, thanks to a burst of warm weather that prematurely pushed them to peak early on in the season. more ›

As we've already mentioned, the cherry blossoms have already been blooming around the city—but will their early arrival put a damper on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's annual Sakura Matsuri festival? The fest isn't until May 1st, but their map is showing that all of the trees are currently in peak bloom! After that, it's post peak doom, with petals only covering the ground. more ›

It seems like the Cherry Blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden just started blooming, but now their map is showing the trees at peak bloom. Brownstoner points to the Garden's Twitter and notes "the recent heat wave has brought out the cherry blossoms slightly ahead of schedule." Last year we talked to the folks at BBG, who told us about the progression of the short viewing season, noting that "different cherries bloom at different times and the timing is all up to Mother Nature." more ›

It's Sakura Matsuri time at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden--aka the annual cherry blossom festival--today and tomorrow. With over 100 cherry trees in full bloom, there are many events for visitors to enjoy, including taiko drumming, traditional tea ceremonies, origami folding workshops, instruction on drawing manga characters and many musical performances. Plus, the festivities are happening rain or shine. more ›

In time for this weekend's Sakura Matsuri (cherry blossom) Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, the BBG's web manager Dave Allen created this video using photographs taken every 3 minutes between April 18 and April 26, 2008 (there were over 3,000!). more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has yet again set up their ever-changing map showing "the approximate positions of every Prunus specimen in the Cherry Esplanade, Cherry Walk, Cherry Cultivars Area and Japanese Garden and its current blossom status." Only five have bloomed so far, the others showing buds but no petals just yet (picture of pre-bloom). Last year the garden was bursting with color around the end of April. more ›

Don't forget that the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival is going on all weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden! more ›