Montgomery Parks is forecasting a peak bloom of the cherry blossoms within the next week and invites visitors to avoid the traffic and visit its local parks to view nature’s display.
“The warm weather this week has really sped up the bloom time for the Japanese flowering cherry trees in our parks,” said Montgomery Parks Urban Forester Andy Driscoll. “We expect the cherry blossoms in our parks to peak between March 23-26, around the same time as the trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C.”
Cherry trees across the county are already in bloom and more are expected to open in the coming days. Several Montgomery Parks offer prime blossom viewing opportunities:
Avenel Local Park
Brookdale Neighborhood Park
Brookside Gardens
Fairland Recreational Park
Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Park
Nike Missile Local Park
Rosemary Hills-Lyttonsville Local Park
South Germantown Recreational Park
Strawberry Knoll Local Park
Parks arborists say climate change has been pushing cherry bloom times earlier each year. Previously peak bloom time was early April, however in recent years mid to late March is more common.