Select your college above or begin researching district library resources below.
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This page will help you make selections about which plants to grow/seeds to obtain at the library:
1. Plant profiles-detailed profiles of each plant in the seed library
2. Plant lists-to identify plants in the seed library that meet specific criteria, such as those that attract hummingbirds
Note: not all seeds are available at all seed library locations at all times, but the pages stay up for educational purposes. If you are looking for seeds for a specific plant, please call ahead to the seed library location you plan to visit.
In the tabs above are descriptions for each plant in the seed library including its germination and cultivation needs as well as its wildlife benefits. Plants can be found alphabetically by common name within the category that best describes them.
Annuals-plants that complete their lifecycle in one growing season (germinate, grow, bloom, set seed, die)
Food plants-Plants typically grown as a crop, including vegetables and fruits.
Our food plant seeds are obtained primarily through donations, and thus availability will vary and quantities are not guaranteed. If there is a specific variety of seeds you are looking for, call ahead to the seed library location of your choice.
Be sure to plant in season by consulting the Maricopa County Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar and/or Native Seed Search Planting Calendar.
If growing in containers, see our handout below:
Grasses-Flowering plants with narrow leaves. Sonoran desert native grasses tend to be bunch grasses.
Perennial-A plant with a lifecycle that is longer than two years.
Shrub-somewhat woody plants generally between 2-15 feet tall and without a central stem (i.e. usually multiple branched)
Subshrub-small shrubs, generally defined as smaller than two feet tall.
Trees-woody plants generally taller than 15 feet and have a central stalk
Vines-climbing plants
Groundcovers-plants that tend to grow low across the ground
Some plants can function as either vines or groundcovers, depending on how they are grown.
Globe mallow, Danielle Carlock. 
Red admiral butterfly nectaring at brittlebush. Danielle Carlock
Hartweg's twinevine. Danielle Carlock
Hummingbird visiting Parry's Penstemon. Danielle Carlock
Pink fairy duster. Danielle Carlock.
Chocolate flower. Danielle Carlock
Shrubby deervetch. Jeny Davis. Used with permission.
