Horticulture Outreach and Children's Gardening at McCrory Gardens, South Dakota State University

University-based public gardens play a key role in outreach and consumer horticulture at many institutions.  McCrory Gardens is a relatively small public garden with roughly 25 acres of formal display gardens and a 45 acre arboretum but it is widely used by classes in the Horticulture, Forestry, Landscape and Parks Department and also by other groups, like Master Gardeners, school children and the general public.  In the next two years we will have established our new Children’s Gardening and Education Center at McCrory Gardens that will focus on early childhood education in the basics of the importance of plants and fundamentals of gardening.  The focal point for this new endeavor is a 900 sq. ft. straw bale building with a living roof of sedum.  Surrounding the building will be interactive plantings and displays to capture the imagination of the children visiting the gardens and expose them to the wonderful world of gardening.  This new facility will also expose visitors to elements of sustainable design, native plants, and research in the use of green roofs and energy conservation.  The straw bale building was constructed using locally grown wheat straw and many in-kind donations from local contractors.  The building was erected largely by volunteers and students that were taking a class in sustainable design.  The children’s interactive garden was designed by senior Landscape Architecture students at South Dakota State University (SDSU) and is being installed by student workers at the gardens and a few area contractors.  We are cooperating with the early childhood development program at SDSU, the local Boys and Girls Club, and elementary school teachers and administrators in the area.