April 2011

Posted April 27, 2011

Tree Peony Week at Linda Hall Library

TREE PEONY WEEK AT LINDA HALL LIBRARY

KANSAS CITY, Mo—The winter is over and spring is filled with blooming trees and flowers. What better way to celebrate this beautiful season than with a tour of the incredible tree peony collection at the Linda Hall Library. The tree peonies are part of the 14-acre arboretum that surrounds the Library. Tours of the peonies will be given by Scott Reiter, Head Groundskeeper on Monday, April 25 from 4-6 pm; Friday, April 29 from 4-6 pm; Saturday, April 30 from 12-2 pm; and on Monday, May 2 from 4-6 pm. Guided tours begin at the starting time and continue till the ending time. Persons interested should gather at the northeast side of the grounds located at 5109 Cherry, Kansas City, Missouri. The grounds are open to the public during the day for those interested in visiting prior to the tours.

The tree peony collection at the Library was begun in the early 1970’s by Fred Leimkuhler, the Head Groundskeeper at the time and, Don Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth Nursery. The plants are slow to establish in the garden, taking two to three years to assume normal growth and flowering. However, once they are established, they are virtually disease and insect free. Tree peonies are reported to live well over one hundred years. A mature shrub can produce 80-100 plus flowers—and what flowers they are! Blooms can range in size from 6 to 12 inches in diameter in a variety of dazzling colors. The flowers are known for their purity of colors and the delicacy of their blossoms.

The tours are sponsored by the Linda Hall Library and are free and open to the public. Also on the grounds are Missouri native woodland plants, a large number of viburnums, and more than 150 species of trees.

The Linda Hall Library, the world’s largest privately funded library of science, engineering and technology, is open to the public. It is located at 5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri. Library hours are Monday through Friday, 9:am. – 5 pm.
For more information on this event, please contact Kimberly Allen, 816-926-8792.

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