Photo of the Week: Tree Peonies in Bloom

deep magenta peony blooms against green leaves

With the warm weather over the past couple weeks in southeast Michigan, our gardens are filled with color from mid-to-late spring flowers, including gorgeous deep purple lilacs, brilliant orange poppies, and the soft pink of crabapple flowers.

One of my favorite spring flowers in bloom is the peony, and there’s no better place to view the wide variety of peonies than at the Peony Garden at the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

People throughout Michigan and beyond travel to the almost 100-year-old Peony Garden to stroll through the 27 beds of the 200+ varieties of herbaceous peonies.

Tree Peonies

And while many people plan a trip to the garden to see herbaceous peonies in late spring, I love taking a tour a few weeks earlier, when the tree peonies are in bloom.  Continue reading Photo of the Week: Tree Peonies in Bloom

Photo of the Week: Bright Flowers to Brighten up Snowy Days

multi-colored coneflowers, blue scilla, and orange marigolds

It’s the beginning of February in Michigan. And this year that means the winter doldrums are setting in: gray cloudy days, snowstorms, and temperatures near or below zero degrees Farenheit. Wouldn’t it be nice to see some beautiful spring flowers with brilliant colors in bloom? Obviously not outside, but from an indoor flower show. Here’s… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Bright Flowers to Brighten up Snowy Days

Photo of the Week: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

White day lily glass art stands out against the dark background, in a pond with faint reflection of the lily below.

While I was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this weekend for WordCamp Pittsburgh, I took time to visit Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens near Carnegie Mellon University.

Part of Schenley Park, the steel and glass Victorian greenhouse built in 1892 is a historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Continue reading Photo of the Week: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens