McCrory Gardens is a botanical garden and arboretum operated and maintained by South Dakota State University. The gardens are funded primarily by donations from the Friends of McCrory Gardens, admission fees, other special gifts and endowment returns.
McCrory Gardens has over 25 acres of formal display gardens and 45 acres of arboretum featuring hundreds of different flowers, trees, shrubs and grasses in harmonious settings to display, educate and further the development of new varieties.
The South Dakota State Arboretum features trees and shrubs that are adapted to South Dakota's harsh climate. In addition we routinely trial new selections of trees and shrubs to test their adaptability to our growing conditions.
Beauty is its own excuse for being. However, the Gardens serve a more practical purpose.
Ongoing research continues to provide new information to the scientific community and the public on the introduction, cultivation and arrangement of native and domesticated plants. The testing and evaluation of new woody plant selections and varieties in the climate of the northern Great Plains, initiated by Dr. N.E. Hansen almost three-quarters of a century ago, remains an integral part of our research mission.