Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Sakura cherry blossoms in bloom at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Tom Amit)
Sakura cherry blossoms in bloom at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Tom Amit)
Lupines in bloom at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Tom Amit)
The pink-crowned Katie Heath narcissus is in bloom on February 14, 2021 at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Jerusalem Botanical Gardens)
Sakura cherry blossoms in bloom at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Tom Amit)
Wildflower season has arrived, as Israelis celebrate the partially lifted lockdown by tripping through carpets of red anemones in the Negev and lounging among purple lupines in the Ella Valley (and in other locations).
The pink-crowned Katie Heath narcissus is in bloom on February 14, 2021 at Jerusalem’s Botanical Gardens (Courtesy Jerusalem Botanical Gardens)
The trees should be in full bloom through February 20. Walking tours begin at 11 a.m. each day and there are train rides between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
There are also origami workshops to celebrate the Japanese origins of the Sakura cherry blossom, and other tours around the 42-acre (170-dunam) gardens.
The rare pink narcissus, a pink-crowned blossom also known as the Katie Heath daffodil, is also flowering right now at the gardens.
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The hybridized flower, more familiar in Europe, is the only one of its kind in Israel, according to Ori Fragman-Sapir, head botanist at the gardens, with 10 of its kind planted at the gardens, and all expected to bloom this year.
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