Spring

Spring does not come all at once in the San Francisco Bay Area; instead it comes in a long procession, with something new blooming every week. We’ve been studying flowering trees in my Tree ID class at Merritt College, taught by Dr. Lawrence Lee.

Samples of Pyrus calleryana 'Aristocrat'
(Aristocrat Pear) for the Tree ID class
at Merritt College

Here is a week-by-week account of some of these trees we have seen as they come into bloom – mostly Acacia, Prunus (cherry), Pyrus (pear), Magnolia, and Eucalyptus. Many of these trees can be seen in the Montclair Hills in Oakland, others are found throughout neighborhoods in Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, Hayward, and Orinda.

Week	Latin Name
February 1	Acacia baileyana Prunus cerasifera Prunus dulcis
February 8	Magnolia grandiflora Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea' Pyrus taiwanensis
February 15	Acacia melanoxylon Magnolia x soulangeana Magnolia stellata Prunus x blirieana
February 22	Acacia cognata Rhaphiolepsis 'Majestic Beauty'
February 29	Acacia longifolia Acer rubrum Cercis canadensis Eucalyptus globulus Eucalyptus sideroxylon 'Rosea'
March 7	Prunus laurocerasus Eucalyptus ficifolia
March 14	Acacia dealbata Malus x floribunda Photinia serratifolia Pyrus calleryana 'Aristocrat'

HTML Tables

Studying and understanding this progression of blooming is useful for envisioning trees and plants in the garden, and planning a garden with progressive blooming throughout the year. With our mild climate and microclimates, these dates and the progression may vary by location, and vary from year to year.