Garden Discovery Festival

1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

FREE admission
-Hands-on activities & interactive booths
-Brookings Public Library story time
-Expert led presentations & guided garden tours
-Native Plant Initiative plant sale & Master Gardener Plant sale
We will be hosting this event in collaboration with SDSU Extension !

Presentation and Tour Schedule

1:15-2:00 p.m.

• N.E. Hansen: Who is He? – presented by Sydney Trio, McCrory Gardens Education Coordinator
  Find out the history of USDA’s first plant explorer, Niels Ebbeson Hansen.  You will also learn what connections he has with SDSU!
• Garden Tour – Through the Gardens – led by McCrory Staff
  Get a tour with McCrory’s own professional staff. Learn more about how we grow and take care of our plants, along with some history and background to what we have growing on in the Gardens.

2:15-3:00 p.m.

• What’s wrong with my plant? – presented by Kristine Lang, Assistant Professor & SDSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist
  Kristine will share some of the recent, fun, and unusual plant questions she has received from gardeners of all ages. You’ll learn tips and tricks to be your own plant detective to try to find a solution to interesting plant problems.
• Garden Tour – The Best Trees and Shrubs for South Dakota – led by John Ball, Professor, SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist & South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Forest Health Specialist
  Get a tour with McCrory’s own professional staff. Learn more about how we grow and take care of our plants, along with some history and background to what we have growing on in the Gardens.

3:15-4:00 p.m.

• Story Time and Apple Tree Giving – presented by Brookings Public Library and Perry Johnson, Brookings Area Master Gardener
  Listen to some fun garden-themed books by Brookings Public Library. Then, receive some information about how to take care of an apple tree and take home your own tree!
• Garden Tour – Parading through Perennials – led by Kristine Lang
  Get a tour with McCrory’s own professional staff. Learn more about how we grow and take care of our plants, along with some history and background to what we have growing on in the Gardens.

4:15-5:00 p.m.

• Cover crops and controlled environments, what’s natural anyway? – presented by Alexis Barnes and Andrew Engel
  Cover crops as a living mulch are under sown during planting and can decrease the use of tillage, aid in weed suppression and attract native pollinators. Find out if cover crops are meant for your garden!
• Garden Tour – Five Senses in McCrory Gardens – led by Sydney Trio
  Walk around McCrory with Education Coordinator, Sydney Trio and learn how you can use all five of your senses within the Gardens.

SDSU extension press release: https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/garden-discovery-festival-mccrory-gardens