Reference Garden Program
Public Gardens with a focus upon peony preservation
About APS Reference Gardens
Definition, Criteria, Participation Benfits & Application
What is a Reference Garden?
The purposes of a reference garden are education and preservation. A reference garden contains a themed collection of accurately identified plants allowing visitors to order a plant of the same name for their own garden and know what they are getting. Visitors can also compare specimens to their own plants to aid in the identification of unknowns. In some cases, especially with historic collections, it will not be possible to authenticate all the plants in a garden. Reference gardens could be either private or public, but APS has chosen to include only public gardens in their program.
What criteria are used to select a Reference Garden?
1. Must be a nonprofit garden (municipal, private nonprofit, educational institute, etc.) located in the US open to the public during peony bloom season. (May later extend to other countries.)
2. A general collection must include at least 80 different cultivars or species of peonies; a themed or specialty (e.g. heirloom lactifloras, woodies, specific hybridizer, APS Award of Landscape Merit, APS Gold Medal) collection could have fewer.
3. Peonies must either be individually labeled (cultivar name at minimum; hybridizer and year encouraged) or a map made available to visitors. Type of label would be consistent with other labeling in the garden; ideally, labels would have QR codes linking to the APS Registry.
4. The garden must have a liaison (staff or volunteer) who is knowledgeable about peonies so that proper identification and cultural practices are employed.
5. The garden must agree to display APS brochures in its visitor center or kiosk and an APS Peony Reference Garden plaque in the garden.
6. The garden must provide a brief report to APS every five years on the status of the collection.
Are there benefits to becoming an APS Reference Garden?
1. Institutional membership in APS free of charge.
2. A listing on the APS website if desired.
3. An APS member liaison for each garden (could be a staff member through the
institutional membership).
4. A bronze plaque for the garden provided by APS.
*Note: APS is in the process of developing a grant program to which reference gardens can apply for funding for labeling, signage, promotional and educational material, and other small projects.
Reference Garden Application
APS Peony Reference Gardens
Enjoyment, Education and Research
Please contact gardens prior to making a visit. Some gardens may have specific times and dates in which they are open.

Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate
Featuring Alice McIlvain’s Saunders peony collection.
120 Sycamore Road, Lexington, KY 40502
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://henryclay.org/mansion-grounds/grounds-gardens/the-gardens/

Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Featuring a general collection of 80+ peonies. Mid to late May is the best time for visitors to the Dubuque (IA) Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
to view the peony gardens, a collection of 69 named cultivars, all Paeonia lactiflora, arranged in
five rectangular beds and accessible via a brick pathway.
Near the peony gardens is a row of intersectional peonies, while tree peony cultivars (Paeonia
suffruticosa) are displayed in the Japanese Garden. Assorted peonies also appear in several of
the perennial gardens.
The arboretum and botanical gardens are open to the public 7 days per week, year-round, at
no charge.
3800 Arboretum Drive, Dubuque, IA 52001
Website: https://dubuquearboretum.net/#
Email: [email protected]

Grant Garden, Hamilton College Arboretum
Featuring 100+ Saunders peonies. Both woody & herbaceous.
198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.hamilton.edu/arboretum/saunders-peonies

Hoard Historical Museum - Roger F. & Sandra L. Anderson Intersectional Peony Garden
Featuring the Intersectional peony hybridizing work of Roger F. Anderson. Brochure HERE
401 Whitewater Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://hoardmuseum.org/exhibits/hoard-museum-gardens/peony-garden/

Linwood Gardens
Featuring the works of William Gratwick, Nassos Daphnis and A.P. Saunders. 600+ woody peonies.
1912 York Road West, Linwood, NY 14486
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.linwoodgardens.org/

Old Prairie Town/Ward-Meade Park
Featuring the herbaceous peony hybridizing work of Myron Bigger.
124 NW Filmore, Topeka, KS 66066

W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, University of Michigan
Featuring a historic display of Lactiflora Group peonies.
1800 North Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://mbgna.umich.edu/peony-garden

Wisconsin Heritage Peony Garden
Featuring the works of Wisconsin peony hybridizers, Award of Landscape Merit Peonies and Gold Medal Peonies.
127 S. Spring Street, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Email: [email protected]