The University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus is currently home to a vibrant floral spectacle, drawing an anticipated 100,000 visitors to its W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden.
The annual display of showy pink, white, and red blooms has become such a popular “spectator sport” that visitors are often bused into the Nichols Arboretum, affectionately known as The Arb.
Among the dedicated enthusiasts is Nicole Calvin, who has made an annual pilgrimage for the past 16 years to catch a peek – and a whiff – of the school’s sizeable peony collection, even visiting twice this year.
“I just love walking through the gardens,” Calvin said. “I love that they come from different places, and there’s different varieties, different colours. It smells amazing. It’s just a really beautiful place to be.”
The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden proudly hosts one of North America’s, and likely the world’s, largest collections of historic herbaceous peonies, with varieties dating pre-1950.
It features hundreds of cultivated types from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian, and European origins.
At its peak, the garden typically showcases tens of thousands of flowers.
Doug Conley, horticulture lead of Nichols Arboretum, explains the plant’s enduring allure.
“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,” he said. “And our collection is overwhelming. When you see this garden at peak bloom, there’s nothing like it. You’re captivated by it.”
The garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset.
For those particularly drawn to the peony’s distinctive scent, it is recommended to arrive early in the morning or late in the evening, when the fragrances are at their most potent.
Conley concluded: “It is restorative for all of us, I think, to come out into nature and be surrounded by joy, beauty. It’s a delightful place for people to just come and gather and be.”
