Cherry Blossom Meaning: Renewal, Beauty and Life's Brief Moments

Cherry blossoms mean renewal, beauty, hope and the fleeting nature of life. They open all at once, fill a street with pale pink for a week or so, then fall like snow. That short, spectacular bloom is the whole meaning: enjoy this, because it won't last.

This guide covers what cherry blossoms symbolize, why they matter so much in Japan, what the colours say and where Canadians can see them each spring. It also has an honest note for anyone hoping to send them: cherry blossom isn't a cut flower in our range, so we'll show you what a florist can send instead. For other flowers, see our flower meanings guide.

Cherry blossom meaning: what the flower symbolizes

The core meanings of the cherry blossom:

• The fleeting nature of life: the blossoms are at their best for only days, a reminder that beauty and life are brief.
• Renewal and new beginnings: they arrive with spring, after a long winter, and mark a fresh start.
• Beauty and grace: few trees look more delicate in full bloom.
• Hope and optimism: a sign that warmer days are coming.
• Love and gentleness: especially for pink blossoms, and in parts of China, where the flower is linked with feminine beauty.

Sakura meaning in Japan

Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom and for the flowering cherry tree. In Japan it's the best-loved flower of all, printed on coins, stamps and train tickets, and the sakura meaning runs deep. It's closely tied to a Japanese idea called mono no aware, often translated as a gentle sadness at the passing of things. The blossoms are beautiful partly because they fall so soon.

Sakura also mark beginnings. The Japanese school and business year starts in April, right around cherry blossom season, so the flowers are part of first days at school, first jobs and new chapters. In history the image had a harder side too: falling blossoms were long used as a symbol of warriors who died young, and in wartime that symbolism was used to glorify soldiers' deaths. Most people today simply see the blossoms as a celebration of spring and a reminder to slow down.

Hanami: the tradition of flower viewing

Hanami means "flower viewing", and it's the custom of gathering under blooming trees with friends, family or coworkers to eat, drink and enjoy the blossoms. The tradition goes back more than a thousand years. It is said to have begun with plum blossoms before cherry blossoms took over as the favourite.

Each spring, Japanese news follows the "cherry blossom front" as the bloom moves north from the warm south of the country, and people plan picnics around the forecast. Evening viewing, with lanterns hung in the branches, has its own name: yozakura, or night sakura.

Cherry flower meaning in other cultures

In China, cherry blossoms are linked with feminine beauty and love, though the plum blossom, which flowers in late winter, carries more cultural weight there as a symbol of resilience. Korea has its own large cherry blossom festivals each spring. And in many places the cherry blossom has become a general sign of spring, renewal and friendship between countries, since Japan has gifted cherry trees to cities around the world, Canada included.

Where to see cherry blossoms in Canada

You don't have to travel to Japan for hanami. Canada has some well-known spots:

• Vancouver: the city has tens of thousands of ornamental cherry and plum trees, and the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates them every spring with walks, picnics and events. Blooms usually run from late March through April, variety by variety.
• High Park, Toronto: in 1959, Japan's ambassador presented Toronto with 2,000 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo, in thanks for the city's welcome of Japanese Canadians who resettled there after the Second World War. Peak bloom usually lands in late April or early May and lasts only about a week, so crowds watch the forecasts closely.
• Elsewhere: Victoria and other towns in coastal B.C. have long avenues of flowering cherries, and many parks and Japanese gardens across the country plant them too. Timing always depends on the weather.

Cherry blossom colour meanings

Most cherry blossoms are pink or white, and the shades carry slightly different messages:

• Pale pink: gentle love, femininity and the classic sakura meaning. The Somei-Yoshino, the most planted variety in Japan, is so pale it can look almost white.
• Deep pink: warmth, joy and abundance. Double-flowered varieties like 'Kanzan' bloom in fat, frilly clusters a little later in spring.
• White: purity, renewal and a quiet new start.

Can you send cherry blossoms?

Not through us, and not easily anywhere. Cherry blossom isn't a cut flower that florists stock in our range: the branches have a very short season, the petals drop within days and the blooms bruise in transport. Some people force bare cherry branches into bloom indoors in late winter, but that's a garden project rather than a delivery.

If you do bring a branch in from the yard, keep it away from pets. The ASPCA lists cherry trees as toxic to cats and dogs, mainly the stems, leaves and pits. Our list of flowers safe for cats has gentler options.

Flowers that look like cherry blossoms

A florist can capture the soft pink, airy feeling of a cherry tree with these stems:

• Pink spray roses: small, clustered blooms on one stem. See our spray rose guide.
• Waxflower: tiny star-shaped flowers that read like blossom from a distance. See our waxflower guide.
• Stock: dense, scented spikes in pale pink and lavender. See our stock guide.
• Pink lisianthus: ruffled, delicate petals with a long vase life. See our lisianthus guide.

The Natural Flower Arrangement pairs pink spray roses with pink waxflower, the Pink Pink Bouquet mixes pink waxflower with lavender stock and pink roses, and the Pretty in Pink Basket is a soft, springy basket. They suit the same moments a cherry blossom would: a new job, a graduation, a move, a spring birthday or a bittersweet goodbye. For another spring tree flower, see our magnolia flower meaning guide.

Sending soft pink spring flowers anywhere in Canada

Flowers on Demand delivers across every province and territory through a network of local florists, who arrange and hand-deliver each order. Delivery is a flat $19.99. For same-day delivery, order before 1:00 PM in the recipient's time zone, Monday to Saturday; there's no Sunday delivery.

Start with our pink flowers, or find the town you're sending to on our delivery cities page. Local florists occasionally swap a stem for one of similar style and value when a flower is short, so if one flower matters most, say so in the card or delivery note.