Skip to main content

McCrory Gardens Trial Report

Updated December 19, 2024
Professional headshot of Kristine Lang

Kristine Lang

Assistant Professor & SDSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist

Written collaboratively by Kristine Lang, Amy Knofczynski, Christopher Schlenker, Debra Brost, Cathy Fredrickson, Perry Johnson and Sharelle Meyer

Number of Cultivars in Each Trial Category

  • 46 Annuals
  • 37 Perennials
  • 20 Roses
  • 3 Trees and Shrubs

Acknowledgements

Cooperating Organizations and Companies

McCrory Gardens and SDSU Extension would like to thank the organizations and companies who collaborate with us for national and regional trials Without their cooperation and support, the research completed at McCrory Gardens would not be possible. Company and organizational names are included for public information only and do not represent an endorsement by McCrory Gardens or SDSU Extension.

Special thanks to Sydney Trio for peer review of this publication.

About McCrory Gardens

McCrory Gardens SD lockup

Located on the campus of South Dakota State University, McCrory Gardens sits on the edge of the tall grass prairie in Brookings, South Dakota. Beginning with just 2 acres in 1965, McCrory Gardens has grown to include 25 acres of formal gardens and a 45-acre arboretum. In the heart of the 70-acre botanical garden sits the Education and Visitor Center, a facility designed to further enhance the mission of ‘Connecting people and plants through education, discovery, research, and enjoyment of the natural and built landscape.’

The formal gardens house a multitude of themed gardens and plant collections in addition to the annual and perennial plant trial programs. These plant trial programs in addition to those conducted in the arboretum are managed and maintained by the McCrory Gardens horticulture staff with evaluations conducted by SDSU Extension and McCrory Gardens staff with the purpose of determining performance and survivability of varieties when tested against the unique environmental conditions of the northern great plains.

Learn more about McCrory Gardens