A World in Bloom: The Most Beautiful Peony Gardens Across the Globe
Few flowers capture the imagination quite like the peony. With their lush, cloud-like petals, intoxicating fragrance, and dazzling colors ranging from pale blush to dramatic burgundy, peonies have long been celebrated in poetry, art, and folklore. In China, they are hailed as the “king of flowers.” In Japan, they symbolize prosperity and honor. In Europe and North America, they are cherished as timeless heirlooms passed down from garden to garden.
For travelers, the season of peonies—fleeting though it may be—is worth planning around. Across continents, grand botanical collections and historic gardens erupt each spring in waves of pink, red, white, and gold. To wander among them is to experience beauty at its most generous. Here is a tour of some of the world’s most extraordinary peony gardens, places where the season feels like a festival and the blossoms themselves become a living work of art.
The Capital of Peonies: Luoyang, China
In central China’s Henan Province, the ancient city of Luoyang has been associated with peonies for more than a thousand years. Each spring, the city becomes a riot of color during the Luoyang Peony Festival, a cultural event that draws millions of visitors. The scale is almost unimaginable: hundreds of thousands of peony plants, representing more than a thousand varieties, bloom across multiple gardens.
In the China National Flower Garden, entire hillsides are covered with peonies in every imaginable shade—soft apricots, vivid magentas, deep crimsons. Meanwhile, the Luoyang International Peony Garden showcases both Chinese and imported cultivars, extending the bloom season with early- and late-flowering varieties. The atmosphere during the festival is joyous, with parades, music, and cultural exhibitions that celebrate not only the flower but its place in Chinese heritage.
The best time to visit is mid-April to early May, when the city transforms into a living canvas. To stroll here among the blossoms is to understand why Chinese poets once compared the peony to “a beauty beyond compare.”
A Historic American Collection: Nichols Arboretum, Michigan
Across the ocean, on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, lies one of North America’s most impressive peony collections. The Nichols Arboretum’s W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden is a living museum of heirloom varieties. Nearly 800 peony plants grow here, including more than 350 historic cultivars dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.
At the height of bloom, usually late May into early June, the garden bursts with more than 10,000 blossoms. The display is extraordinary—not only for the abundance of flowers but for the heady fragrance that lingers in the air. Beds are planted with an eye toward timing, allowing early, midseason, and late bloomers to extend the floral show. The addition of tree peonies adds another layer of richness.
There is something deeply nostalgic about this garden. Families have visited for generations, photographing children among the flowers and returning year after year. Best of all, admission is free, making it a democratic pleasure—a place where anyone can lose themselves in petals and perfume.
Japan’s Living Tradition: Sukagawa Peony Garden
Few countries revere peonies as deeply as Japan, where the flower is tied to ideas of honor, good fortune, and prosperity. In Fukushima Prefecture, the Sukagawa Peony Garden (Sukagawa Botan-en) has been enchanting visitors since 1766. Originally planted for medicinal and herbal uses, it has evolved into a ten-hectare wonderland. Today, more than 7,000 plants bloom here, representing nearly 300 varieties.
The garden is both vast and intimate. Pathways lead past clusters of tree and herbaceous peonies in every hue, their blossoms often as large as a dinner plate. Some of the plants are centuries old, lending a sense of timelessness to the spectacle. Volunteer guides are on hand to share the garden’s history and introduce visitors to rare and unusual cultivars.
To visit in May, when the garden is at its peak, is to enter a dreamscape. The gentle slopes and traditional landscaping amplify the effect, creating a natural harmony between flower and setting.
A Floating Sea of Blossoms: Yuushien Garden, Japan
On Daikonshima Island in Shimane Prefecture, Yuushien Garden offers one of the most photogenic peony displays in the world. Here, more than 250 varieties of peonies bloom in a traditional Japanese garden setting of ponds, bridges, and manicured landscapes.
What makes Yuushien unforgettable is its dramatic seasonal display: thousands of freshly cut peony blooms floating on the surface of the garden’s ponds. The reflection of the blossoms in the water creates a shimmering mosaic of color, as though the flowers have spilled out of their beds and onto the surface of the earth itself. The effect is so striking that it has become a symbol of the region.
The Giant of Japan: Tsukuba Peony Garden
In Ibaraki Prefecture lies Japan’s largest peony garden—Tsukuba Botan-en. With some 60,000 trees and countless blossoms, it is a floral kingdom on a grand scale. The garden is especially beloved during its spring festival, when rows upon rows of peonies unfurl in breathtaking unison. Visitors wander through waves of color, pausing to take in rare cultivars or to sit quietly beneath the shade of a tree while surrounded by blooms.
The sheer size of Tsukuba Botan-en makes it unique, but like all Japanese gardens, it balances spectacle with serenity. Even at its busiest, there are quiet corners where one can listen to birdsong and feel the gentle rustle of petals in the breeze.
A Farm of Rare Treasures: Swenson Gardens, Minnesota
While many peony gardens are designed for display, Swenson Gardens in Minnesota is first and foremost a working farm. But it is no ordinary farm—it is the largest chemical-free peony farm in the world. Here, rows upon rows of peonies stretch across the landscape, with hundreds of rare and unusual cultivars carefully cultivated.
For peony enthusiasts, this is paradise. The Swensons are renowned for their breeding program, producing peonies with exceptionally long stems, vigorous growth, and unique flower forms. Their fields are not landscaped in the manner of a formal garden, but the experience of walking among thousands of blossoms, each glowing in the sunlight, is unforgettable. The farm represents a modern, sustainable approach to growing these ancient flowers, proving that beauty and environmental stewardship can bloom side by side.
Hidden Gems and Temple Gardens
Beyond these grand destinations are countless smaller peony gardens worth seeking out. In Shizuoka, Japan, Kasuisai Temple holds a beloved peony festival each spring, with more than 2,000 plants blooming in its historic grounds. In China’s Shandong Province, Jinan’s Baihua Park boasts a rich peony collection alongside other floral displays. And across Europe, private estates and botanical gardens continue to nurture collections of rare peonies, many descended from 19th-century introductions.
Making the Most of Your Visit
Peony season is fleeting, and part of the flower’s allure lies in its ephemerality. Planning a visit requires some flexibility: an early spring may hasten the blooms, while a cool spring may delay them by weeks. Checking local bloom forecasts is essential.
To avoid crowds, weekday mornings are often best, when the light is soft and the blossoms are fresh. Comfortable walking shoes are a must—many gardens are large, with winding paths and uneven terrain. Bring a camera, but resist the urge to touch the flowers; their delicate petals bruise easily. And above all, linger. The joy of peonies lies not just in their beauty but in the calm they inspire when you take the time to savor them.
A Flower Worth the Journey
Whether in the festival streets of Luoyang, the scholarly arboretum of Michigan, the historic landscapes of Japan, or the quiet rows of a Minnesota farm, peonies remind us of life’s fleeting magnificence. They bloom for only a short season, yet in that time they create memories vivid enough to last a lifetime.
To follow the peonies across the world is to follow spring itself—a journey of renewal, fragrance, and extraordinary beauty.
