Peony Party to celebrate 75th anniversary of original planting at U-M’s Nichols Arboretum.

ANN ARBOR—They’ll all be there, Lord Kitchener, Pasteur, Longfellow, Benjamin Franklin, President Wilson, Grover Cleveland and President Lincoln. They will be celebrating Father’s Day, along with more than 800 other blooming peonies, on June 15, 2-5 p.m., at the Nichols Arboretum’s annual Peony Garden Party at the University of Michigan.

From plantings established 75 years ago, these specimens range in color from white, blush and rose-pink to crimson, maroon, purple-red and violet-rose. Whether rain or shine, the free party will include musical entertainment, information about the Peony Garden and peony cultivation in general and an area where children can “do their thing.” Refreshments, potted peonies, educational information and gifts will be available for purchase.

Planted in 1922 and officially opened to the public in the spring of 1927, the Peony Garden has become a popular setting for weddings and graduation events. In recent years, curators have been restoring the Garden to its original design and continue searching for all the cultivars first planted in the Garden. The more than 800 peonies of 300 plus cultivars, most dating back about 70 years, make the Garden a significant repository for old peony cultivars.

The Peony Garden, located at the Washington Heights entrance to the Arboretum near U-M’s Mary Markley Residence Hall, is part of the 123-acre Nichols Arboretum, founded in 1907. The Arboretum offers nature walks and is an educational and research facility for U-M and other southeast Michigan schools. More than 100,000 people visit the grounds each year.

This year’s honorary chairs for the Peony Garden Party are U-M President Emeritus Robben Fleming and Sally Fleming and Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon and Cliff Sheldon.

For more information about the Peony Garden, the Arboretum, or the Peony Garden Party, call (313) 763-5832 or visit the Arboretum’s Web page.

E-mail: mjnesbit@umich.edu

Arboretum’s Web pagemjnesbit@umich.edu