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History | What We Do | Friends of McCrory Gardens | Maps | Sights of the Gardens Children's Maze | Centennial Prairie Garden | Rock Garden | Tree Collections | Related Links THE ROCK GARDEN Rock Garden Sponsors The Rock Garden is sponsored by the Brookings Daily Register. The quartzite rock was donated by L.G. Everist, Inc. of Dell Rapids. We started construction of the Rock garden in 1988 and it has proven to be the largest, most ambitious, and most labor intensive theme garden to date. More than 1,000 yards of soil and over 100 tons of quartzite rock were trucked into McCrory Gardens to build our Rock Garden. We added about 40 yards of scree mix in selected pockets to provide a suitable soil environment for alpine and other rock garden plants. We began planting the Rock Garden in the spring of 1991, using herbaceous alpine plants, shrubs, and trees. Many of the alpines are native to the Rocky Mountains and the canyon areas of the Black Hills. To enter the Rock Garden, you will walk through four to seven foot quarry walls which simulate a narrow canyon entran ce. Inside you will find a circular grassy area surrounded by quarry walls four to six feet high. The cavities and cracks in the quarry walls are filled with a special soil mix, called a scree, that closely resembles soils found in natural rock gardens. The scree provides a hospitable enviromnent for alpine plants. On the back side of the quarry walls we have placed various sizes of field stones to simulate the natural rock outcroppings found on gentle rolling prairie slopes. A winding path allows viewing of plantings among the rock outcroppings. Selected trees give additional height and add texture to the Rock Garden. Dwarf shrubs, perennials, and annuals add color, texture, and balance. Questions? Contact McCrory Gardens Martin.Maca@sdstate.edu |
