W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden

Give to the Peony Garden

Our primary challenge is to maintain the integrity of this historic collection, which will celebrate 100 years in 2022. We seek to build the related collection of tree peonies as a backdrop, and create an international Online Peony Information Center. Ultimately, we aim to create educational exchange programs with institutions in China, Japan and Korea related to peony culture.

Each spring, the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden in Nichols Arboretum returns for a stunning spring bloom of over 270 historic varieties (cultivars) from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. (Click on our W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden website for seasonal updates, history, a database of peonies growing in the garden, peony resources, and more.)

Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden

These specimens represent many of the important American, Canadian, and European herbaceous peonies of the era—and over half are no longer commercially available. These fragrant spring beauties are arranged in 27 beds with each full bed containing up to 30 peony plants. When filled to capacity the garden holds nearly 800 peonies and up to 10,000 flowers at peak bloom.

Scroll down to see more pictures of the peony garden.

The garden is located near the 1610 Washington Heights entrance to Nichols Arboretum and is part of the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.

If you would like to support the peony garden or any of our other spaces, please contact Meredith Olson, Director of Development, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum,1800 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105; merolson@umich.edu; 734.647.7847