Plum blossoms smell better, emerge first, but cherry blooms get the love, expert says

While coastal B.C. is famous for its springcherry blossoms, a Vancouver-based tree expert wants to remind local flower fans that plum blossomsarejust as prevalent this time of year.

"Plum blossoms don't get the love that cherry blossoms do," said David Tracey, executive director of the Tree CityCanada Association and author ofVancouver Tree Book: A Living City Field Guide.

Tracey said plum blossoms have a "delightful" fragrance that can be smelledon a warm day compared tocherry blossoms which havea more subdued aroma.

"On a sunny day ... it will be like you're walking through a celestial palace with an intoxicating aroma that makes everybody happy," said Tracey.

"If you smell that, it's plums, not cherries."

How you can tell them apart

The blossoms can be differentiatedwith close inspection.

Both flowers have five petals but cherry blossoms have a distinctive split at the end of eachpetal.

Also, only oneplum blossomemergesfrom a bud, while multiplecherry blossoms can emergefrom a single bud.

'All about the cherry blossoms'

Tracey thinks cherry trees are more famous because they flower later than plum trees.

Plums blossom earlier in the year, said Tracey, when the weather is still cold typically from February to March.

Cherries, on the other hand, blossom from March to April. Because people tend to be outdoorswhen it's warmer and further into spring, cherry blossoms are encountered more often.

Also,Tracey said plum blossoms don't have the same cachetas cherry blossoms because they haven't been culturally celebrated as often. Tracey pointed to the example of Japan, where people celebrate the blossoming cherries as a symbol of renewal.

"To this day we're all about the cherry blossoms and plums just aren't getting it."