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A medium orange and black butterfly resting with its wings open on small green leaves in a grassy area.

Generalist Host Plants in South Dakota

Many butterflies and moths are generalists, meaning that their larva can use a variety of host plants as food. Learn about some of the best host plants you can grow in your yard to support butterflies, moths, and everything that relies on them!

Many small, thin insects on a yellow background with a mechanical pencil tip for scale.

Invasion of the Western Flower Thrips

Recent southerly winds brought large numbers of western flower thrips to the eastern third of South Dakota. Learn how to identify and manage this pest before they become a problem in your yard and garden.

Producer harvesting dahlia flowers on a flower farm.

An Introduction to Cut Flower Production

In addition to their stunning colors and beauty, cut flowers can add supplemental income to gardens and farms alike. Learn some tips for growing, harvesting and marketing cut flowers this growing season!

Four top-performing perennial plants: Phlox ‘Opening Act Pink-a-Dot,’ Ornamental Onion ‘Serendipity,’ False Sunflower ‘Tuscan Sun,’ and Coral bells ‘Dolce® Wildberry.’

2021 McCrory Gardens Trials: A Look Back at Top-Performing Perennials

Are you looking for new ideas of what to grow in your garden? Let’s take a look at the six top-performing perennials as judged during the 2021 growing season at McCrory Gardens!

Four Top-performing annnuals: Sunflower ‘Suncredible® Saturn™, Verbena ‘Superbena® Imperial Blue™’, Sweet Alyssum ‘Violet Knight™’ and Coleus ‘ColorBlaze® El Brighto.'

2021 McCrory Gardens Trials: A Look Back at Top-Performing Garden and Container Annuals

Let’s take a look at the ten top-performing annuals during the 2021 McCrory Gardens Trials! Results feature the top six in-ground annuals and the top four container grown annuals.

Paper bags with saved garden seeds for planting.

How to Store Leftover Garden Seeds

Curious about how long your leftover garden seeds will last? View some expert tips for storing a variety of seeds to keep them viable for use in your garden for years to come!

Wooden planks forming a raised circular garden bed with a notch in the side for access

Keyhole Gardens

Keyhole gardens combine composting, water conservation, and space efficient planting in a single raised bed design. They give gardeners a practical way to produce vegetables, herbs, and flowers when space, soil, or water would otherwise be limited.

Raised-bed style cold frame structures with brick frames and glass lids.

Cold Frames

Cold frames are structures that provide a method for extending the growing season, allowing gardeners to begin production earlier in the spring or continue later into the fall.

Gardeners browsing a tablet computer while visiting a garden center.

Home Horticulture Resources for Gardeners

Horticulture is the branch of plant agriculture dealing with garden crops. In addition to our website, there are many horticulture resources available on the web to provide research-based information to help every gardener succeed.

Prairie pasque flowers blooming in early spring.

Native Plant Resources for South Dakota

As we continue to see the benefits of growing native plants in cultivated landscapes, finding the right plant for the right place requires the right resources. Learn about some available native plant sources, educational materials, and organizations serving our region.