Last month, you may recall, at least nine beautiful blooming cherry trees were chopped down outside Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens. Blogger Geoffrey Croft was outraged to learn, at first, that the trees were killed to make way for a "staging area," for construction of a new $17 million atrium on the property. But the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) told us, "While preparing for the Queens Borough Hall project, we found that the cherry trees were diseased and needed to be removed." Now, however, Croft has learned that most, if not all, of the trees were healthy. more ›

[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 ›

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 ›