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Thousands of flowers blooming in Ann Arbor’s Nichols Arboretum

The peony garden at Nichols Arboretum on June 18, 2019. (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It’s officially peony time at the University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum.

Thousands of flowers in the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden are blooming ahead of schedule due to recent high temperatures.

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The peonies, which attract hundreds of visitors annually, regularly open up around Memorial Day and stay open through mid-June.

Arboretum staff said around 75 percent of the buds have bloomed.

At peak bloom, there will be more than 10,000 white, pink, red, and yellow flowers.

How long will the last?

Well, that depends. In an update, Arboretum staff the length of the bloom will depend on the weather during the upcoming weeks. High heat could cause flowers to drop their petals early and storms could damage the plants.

Why are these flowers so special?

The peony garden is made up of around 800 peonies comprised of 350 historic herbaceous varieties from the 19th and 20th centuries. Get to know the varieties here.

Nichols Arboretum is at 1610 Washington Hts. and is open from sunrise to sunset.


About the Author
Sarah Parlette headshot

Sarah has worked for WDIV since June 2018. She covers community events, good eats and small businesses in Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University.

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