McCrory Gardens party tops off summer of lush growth
McCrory Gardens, South Dakota State University’s botanical garden, will showcase a season of exceptional growth at its 22nd annual Garden Party on Friday, Aug. 20.
Free tours of the gardens will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Starting at 5:30 p.m., 10 different flavors of SDSU ice cream will be served. Visitors are encouraged to bring and set up lawn chairs to listen to the smooth sounds of local jazz group, “Murph and Friends,” while enjoying free SDSU ice cream.
“This is a perfect time to visit the gardens because there are so many plants in full bloom,” said Martin Maca, associate director of McCrory Gardens and associate professor in landscape design at State.
“Don’t let the mosquitoes keep visitors away; the city of Brookings plans to spray for mosquitoes before the event,” he said.
The 20 acres of formal display gardens began in the 1960s as a site for research and study of ornamental plant material that could grow under landscape conditions of the area. Much of that early material came from the South Dakota State campus. The South Dakota State Arboretum added 45 acres to the gardens in 1988.
Since that time the ornamental gardens and grounds continue to provide education and visual enjoyment for students and visitors. To complement those missions, the McCrory Gardens Education and Visitor Center is planned for the grounds’ east side; groundbreaking for the project is expected this fall. The design for the new Center will be displayed in the Straw Bale House during the Garden Party.
Though the entire Garden Party is free of charge, guests are encouraged to make contributions to the gardens, which are maintained solely by private gifts.
Membership in Friends of McCrory Gardens helps support the site with money for equipment, labor, seed, plants and other supplies.