For the past 16 years, Nicole Calvin has made an annual journey to the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor to experience the university’s impressive peony display firsthand.
This year, she made the trip twice.
“I just love walking through the gardens,” Calvin shared on Monday. “I love that they come from different places, and there’s different varieties, different colors. It smells amazing. It’s just a really beautiful place to be.”
University officials expect approximately 100,000 people will visit to witness these distinctive flowering plants and their spectacular displays of pink, white, and red blossoms in numerous varieties and shades.
The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden houses what may be the world’s most extensive assembly of historical herbaceous peonies dating before 1950.
“There’s been a long fascination with this plant, because, when it’s peak, it’s so out there. It’s such a big show,” explained Doug Conley, who serves as horticulture lead at Nichols Arboretum, locally called The Arb. “And our collection is overwhelming. When you see this garden at peak bloom, there’s nothing like it. You’re captivated by it.”
Watching the peonies has become such a popular springtime activity that shuttle services transport the numerous visitors who flock to The Arb each year to view these garden plants.
Within the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden, visitors can explore hundreds of historical cultivated types from the 1800s and early 1900s, showcasing American, Canadian, and European peony varieties from that period. During peak blooming season, the garden displays tens of thousands of individual flowers.
Access to the garden costs nothing and remains available from dawn until dusk. Visitors seeking the strongest peony fragrance should plan morning or evening visits when the scents are most pronounced.
“It is restorative for all of us, I think, to come out into nature and be surrounded by joy, beauty,” Conley noted. “It’s a delightful place for people to just come and gather and be.”
