Tens of thousands are making annual peony pilgrimage to University of Michigan’s garden

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Nicole Calvin has been visiting the University of Michigan campus annually over the past 16 years to catch a peek — and a whiff — of the school’s sizable peony collection.

She even came twice this year.

“I just love walking through the gardens,” Calvin said 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.”

The Ann Arbor school anticipates 100,000 visitors will come to behold the unique perennials and their showy pink, white and red blooms of many shades and varieties.

The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden features one of the largest collections of historic — pre-1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America and likely the world.

“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,” said Doug Conley, horticulture lead of Nichols Arboretum, known locally as 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.”

The peony watch is a spectator sport with so many visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the garden plant that they have to be bused in.

The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden contains hundreds of historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era. At peak bloom, the garden typically features tens of thousands of flowers.

The garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the peony’s scent, it’s best to show up early in the morning or late in the evening, when the fragrances are the best.

“It is restorative for all of us, I think, to come out into nature and be surrounded by joy, beauty,” Conley said. “It’s a delightful place for people to just come and gather and be.”