The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

McCrory Gardens officially began in 1966 when the first two display gardens replaced a two-acre section of shelterbelt evaluation and trial blocks on the current site on the east side of the campus of South Dakota State University.  Displaying adapted ornamental plants in a landscape setting was a novel idea at that time since most evaluative research in this area was done by planting out rows and blocks of plants.  McCrory Gardens was meant to appeal to the average home gardener, showing visitors how plants, hardy to the Northern Great Plains, could be utilized in the home garden and landscape.  As the gardens became more popular, people asked to sponsor new gardens or plant collections which helped the gardens to grow and expand.  The gardens have slowly evolved 1964 to 2010.  A revolution is underway with the new Education and Visitor Center and the master planning process which will have attendant major changes to gardens and adjacent arboretum.  The new Center will become the focal point of new gardens and will enable us to serve a whole new audience of students, and gardeners by providing greatly expanded educational and meeting facilities and programming to bring us into the realm of a true botanic garden.  Cooperation also evolved over this period, but now a revolution in cooperation at all levels will be required to succeed. McCrory Gardens has been successful because of dedicated hard work by the faculty, staff and student gardeners that have worked there over the years.  We have also relied on partnerships with a wide variety of supporters, collaborators and friends.  Internal partners have included department faculty and staff in conjunction with college and university administration that have provided salary support and some O&M.  Last year the university administration provided the funds necessary to conduct a master plan with a professional planning firm in PA.  Of course, an integral component in fund raising has been working with our foundation that has provided us with our own representative for the past six years.  Research and evaluation has also been supported by the SDSU Agricultural Experiment Station, All America Selections, NC-7, the South Dakota nursery and landscape industry and various plant breeders and seed companies.  Most importantly, however, has been the support of our Friends of McCrory Gardens, individual donors, our local city and others that have supported our efforts financially through the years.