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Shiny green and bronze beetle on green dill plant.

What Are These Shiny Beetles in My Yard and Why Are They Eating Everything?

Japanese beetles are very bad news for anyone with a garden. They are polyphagous insect pests, which simply means they feed on many different host plants.

hand examining clump of soil organic matter

Soil: It’s Not Just Dirt

Most soils are complex ecosystems with worms, insects and microscopic organisms, which all work together in helping plants grow.

A Red Colummbine branch with several, bell-shaped pink flowers hanging from the end.

Wild Columbine

Red columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, is this week’s native perennial to know. Also known as wild columbine, this plant has striking red flowers that droop from the ends of tall stalks.

A bushy green plant with pink flowers throughout.

Phlox

This week’s native perennials are both phloxes: Phlox divaricata (Wild Blue Phlox, or Sweet William) and Phlox pilosa (Downy or Prairie Phlox)

Penstemon digitalis plant.

Penstemon

Penstemon grandiflorus and Penstemon augustfolius are both native to South Dakota.

A purple flower blooming.

Viola pedatifida

An early blooming native perennial, Viola pedatifida – commonly known as prairie or larkspur violet, is a low-profile addition to your garden.

Garden at the SDSU Specialty Crop Research Field-South

SDSU Extension to Host 2022 Specialty Crop Field Day

September 13, 2022

SDSU Extension will host the 2022 Specialty Crop Field Day on Thursday, September 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CDT in Brookings, South Dakota.

Tulips blooming near the entrance to McCrory Gardens.

McCrory Gardens Trial Report aids in flower selection

June 20, 2023

The 2022 McCrory Gardens Trial Report, issued this spring by South Dakota State University Extension and McCrory Gardens, helps South Dakotans choose flower varieties that do well in local conditions.

Two children work in a garden bed while off to the right a women speaks to a small group of children

Apply now for the SDSU Extension Master Gardener and Home Horticulture course

February 12, 2024

Applications are now being accepted for the South Dakota State University Extension Master Gardener and Home Horticulture training course. Applications are due March 10, 2024.

Pink english rose

SDSU Extension, McCrory Gardens host free series on caring for roses

February 20, 2024

The Caring for Roses in South Dakota webinar series is from 12:30 to 1:30 CST/11:30 to 12:30 p.m. MT on March 19, 20 and 21, 2024, via Zoom. Experts will share the art and science of caring for roses, highlighting their own experiences with the popular plant.