The Peony Garden

The peony garden at the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor contains a historic collection of cultivated peonies. At the moment, the tree peonies are blooming, while only a few of the peony bushes in the many garden beds have begun to open. Along a hillside path, vividly colored azaleas and rhododendrons are also in bloom.

The rhododendrons back up to the fence of the adjacent cemetery.

In normal times, large numbers of visitors usually walk among the beds of peonies and along the paths, but this year people are being encouraged to stay away to avoid crowds — one more of the sad restrictions of the current pandemic. Because the peak season for the spectacular display of blossoms  isn’t for a few weeks, there were very few people in the garden when we were there. The actual sign warning people away is at the entrance nearest the parking lot, and we came in from the other side after a long walk from another entrance, so we didn’t see the “Please come back another year” sign until we had already walked through the gardens.

 

We followed the footpaths through the woods and the meadows on the way up the hill to the formal gardens. The wildflowers are blooming everywhere. I’ve written about the Arboretum and the peony gardens many times throughout the years, but it seems new and wonderful each time I go there!

Blog post and photos © 2020 mae sander for mae food dot blog spot dot com.