EYDER PERALTA, HOST:
Every year, tens of thousands of flower enthusiasts make a pilgrimage to see the University of Michigan's peony garden. And this weekend, the flowers are in peak bloom. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden has one of the largest collections of peonies in North America, and Doug Conley and David Michener, two employees at the university's beloved arboretum, join us now to explain the power of the peony. Gentlemen, thank you for joining us.
DAVID MICHENER: Pleasure to be here.
DOUG CONLEY: Yeah. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about our garden.
PERALTA: So, Doug, for those of us not fortunate enough to be there, what does the garden look like right now?
CONLEY: It's spectacular. And when you arrive at the arboretum, which is this beautiful oasis near campus in the center of town, there's these deep, lovely terrains featuring ridge lines and valleys all flowing down to the Huron River. But the peony garden itself sits in this lovely plateau that isn't fully revealed as you're approaching it. The garden itself, when you come around the corner, that's when you see whites and pinks and burgundy, so exuberant with tens of thousands of blossoms, and you do feel like you're walking into a cloud. And then, of course, the people who are visiting and the laughter and the joy that this moment brings for everyone is quite something.
PERALTA: David, why do people love peonies so much?
MICHENER: The moment you walk in, the fragrance, the colors. It's just an overwhelming sensory experience. You just want to lay down and roll in it.
PERALTA: Tell me a bit about the history of the peony garden. What makes it so special?
MICHENER: This peony garden was started in 1922, as in part a gift from Dr. W.E. Upjohn, and he wanted this to be a collection of the best peonies that could ever be grown in the Ann Arbor area. And we've focused that legacy since then, and it's the stunning peony garden that you enter now.
PERALTA: The peony is important, right? It's legendary - right? - with its culture.
MICHENER: Absolutely legendary, both in Europe, where Paean was the healer to the Greek gods, and it is a medicinal plant, traditionally, and throughout Asian cultures, where the species there are also medicinal. But they were quickly appreciated as flowering plants. So with that has come political overtones to it, particularly in East Asia, where some of the peonies were viewed as, shall we say, leading to suspect morals. And I just love it. They're so sensuous.
PERALTA: What does that mean, leading to suspect morals?
MICHENER: They're romantic, but they also have this - some of the aromas are just so intoxicating. In fact, one of the peony names of the tree peonies is Yang Yuhuan, drunken imperial concubine. And I've always wondered how a grandparent explains that label to a child.
PERALTA: (Laughter) Doug, there are hundreds of peony varietals. Some of them have really fun names like Bo-Peep or Duchess of Portland. What's your favorite variety, and why?
CONLEY: Yeah. I think smouthii. I love the delicate, fernly foliage, this deeply cut, vibrant green foliage. And it reveals this satiny, bright, dark cherry flower - single flower at the top of the stem. But for us, and for me as the horticulturist responsible for managing the garden, it's the sign that peony season's upon us. It's here. When smouthii comes to bloom, the garden needs to be prepped and ready for the thousands of folks who are going to come. So it's that harbinger for me that says game on. Let's go.
PERALTA: That was Doug Conley and David Michener of the University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum and Peony Garden. Gentlemen, thank you for being here.
CONLEY: So glad we could chat today. Thank you.
MICHENER: A pleasure.
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