Cultivating Community: How local libraries help grow gardeners
You’ll find resources and inspiration at your local library
By Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners
For many of us, gardening is more than just a hobby that brings us joy. It’s a way of life that puts fresh food on the table and connects us to our neighbors.
For both seasoned gardeners and curious beginners, local libraries provide a valuable resource on the path to greener thumbs. Beyond books, libraries offer a vibrant array of services tailored for gardeners: from seed libraries and expert-led workshops to curated gardening resources and community events.
Earlier in the year, a group of Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners set out with a list of questions to ask their local library about gardening services. The library staff at each library welcomed our questions and encouraged master gardeners' participation in their programming and book selections.
What Libraries Have in Common for Gardeners
As expected, each library confirmed that it has a collection of non-fiction books related to gardening. They encourage questions and are happy to help with resource questions. When searching for books and DVDs in the library catalogs, they said to use multiple keywords to narrow your search; for instance, a book about learning to garden in a warming environment may be found under “Climate Change” rather than “Gardening.”
Online Resources:
A library card from any library opens the door to Libby through the free statewide Washington Anytime digital library system. Along with hundreds of books, Libby has more than 700 magazines under the Home and Garden tab.
Events for Gardeners:
Checking or subscribing to each library’s e-newsletter, or following their social media, are the best ways to stay informed about presentations of interest to gardeners.
Library of Things:
The Mount Vernon and Burlington Libraries offer a “Library of Things” for checkout. Items range from telescopes and microscopes to park passes and games, many of which are geared toward youth. Gardening items include seed starting kits, mats, seed blocks, and microscopes.
Seed Library:
A community-driven, open-to-the-public resource, all libraries, except Central Skagit, offer a seed library. Each seed library operates differently. Mount Vernon and La Conner’s are shelved with access whenever the library is open. Others offer a seed exchange on a seasonal basis, or as a one-day event. Seed libraries are a great way to save money while trying a limited number of new varieties. Jars and packets are well-labeled with take-home envelopes provided.
Gale Research:
For those wanting a deeper dive into a topic, all libraries subscribe to Gale Research, a renowned publishing company specializing in authoritative reference materials and digital resources for libraries, schools, and academic institutions. Its comprehensive digital research tools and collections support students, educators, and researchers in conducting in-depth research on many topics, including science and botany.
Specific Plant Questions:
The master gardeners who interviewed librarians at their local libraries noticed an interesting correlation: librarians are often avid gardeners in their off hours. That said, they can direct patrons to plant identification and other relevant resources, but plant-specific questions are best directed to the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic and resources.
A Note about
Skagit County Libraries:
Unlike the library systems in neighboring counties, the libraries in Skagit County are funded through each city or in some cases a local taxing district. Each library offers free cards to residents, property owners, business owners within their area of service, and all teachers and students no matter where they live. Residents in unincorporated areas can purchase a card. Cardholders have reciprocity with other libraries in the county for no extra fee. See the footnote below about reciprocal agreements between libraries.
For the Love of Hummingbirds: The Ecology of Anna and Other Hummingbirds
April Know & Grow
Free. No registration required.
With Greg Green, senior instructor at Western Washington University
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 ~ 1 p.m.
Sakuma Auditorium
16650 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Want to learn more about hummingbirds and the ecology surrounding them? WWU Instructor and wildlife biologist Greg Green has been studying hummingbirds for more than a decade. His presentation will include the story of the Anna's hummingbird march north over the past 75 years. Come hear about this fascinating relationship between plants and animals.
Photo © Greg Green
Anacortes Public Library
By Andrea Saxton, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Anacortes Public Library offers a robust selection of gardening books in nonfiction, covering topics from general techniques to landscaping, indoor and outdoor gardening, and PNW-specific practices. Part of the collection is funded by a donation from the Jeane Thomson family to the Anacortes Library Foundation.
The library subscribes to Horticulture magazine, and issues are available for browsing and checkout.
The APL hosts a Seed Library, maintained and stocked by Transition Fidalgo’s Seed Share group. Transition Fidalgo is a non-profit organization committed to climate resiliency and occasionally hosts gardening-related workshops and educational programs at the library.
Burlington Public Library
By Kari Ranten, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Burlington Public Library has a wide variety of gardening books ranging from bulbs to plant starts. The library has how-to books on creating different types of gardens, including cutting gardens, vegetable gardens, container gardening, and landscaping.
If a good afternoon for you includes perusing a magazine that you can hold in your hands, the BPL has subscriptions for Garden Gate, Mother Earth News, and Better Homes and Gardens.
Every April, the Burlington Library holds a class on flower arranging, and in the summer, Sarah Wagstaff from SUOT Farm & Flowers hosts a story time for kids. Subscribe to the library’s newsletter to stay up-to-date about coming events at the library.
Central Skagit Library
By Cindy Bjorklund, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Central Skagit Library in Sedro-Woolley offers a wide variety of publications for the home gardener including books on fruit and vegetable gardening, flowers, gardening in the Pacific Northwest, and homesteading.
The summer reading program is titled Nature. Their physical magazine subscriptions include Self-Reliance, Mother Earth News, Fine Gardening, and Mary Jane’s Farm.
La Conner Swinomish Library
By Aven Wright McIntosh, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The newest addition to the city library system, the La Conner Swinomish Library, reports a small but engaging adult non-fiction gardening section and a children’s section.
- For the past several years, LCSL has hosted workshops on eliminating food waste and Master Gardener Katryna Barber’s worm composting presentation.
- A small seed library with an ever-changing selection of seeds is open to the public for give-and-take. It is located in the community room and is open during library hours.
Library patrons learn how to easily research any topic on in-library computers, locate it on the shelves, or request a transfer from another in-district library. Burlington, Central Skagit, and Concrete share an in-district agreement. A La Conner Swinomish Library card still gives access to all six county libraries, it just works a bit differently for the libraries in Mount Vernon and Anacortes.
The library has the “Stay Sharp” Garden kit which can be checked out providing hands-on nature-inspired learning activities. The librarian also recommends the new “Steam Kits” program available online, which includes activities for kids’ gardening adventures.
Mount Vernon City Library
By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
Mount Vernon City Library has an excellent seed library open to the public during library hours. The seed library along with the resources of the “Library of Things” are the inspiration behind this article. Beyond the books in the Dewey Decimal category 635 Gardening, librarians encourage patrons to look for garden-related books under all the 630 categories-Agriculture and Related Technologies, as well as under 580-Plants and Botany and 550-Earth Sciences.
The collection of resources for gardeners depends on the size of the library; this factor is particularly important when discussing resources for children learning to garden. The Mount Vernon City Library, which boasts the largest children’s collection north of Seattle, includes many children’s books about science and gardening.
Along with hard-copy books and magazines for gardeners, the MVCL has a USDA-certified commercial kitchen which can be rented by the hour. Entrepreneurs starting food-certified businesses can rent space to make food for farmers' markets, food trucks, and restaurants. The fees are affordable and a great resource for enterprising gardeners wanting to take their recipes to the next level. Learn more about the library's kitchen facilities
Sno-Isle Regional Library System
By Linda Olmstead, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Sno-Isle Library system includes 24 libraries located in Island and Snohomish Counties. Library membership allows residents access to all libraries within the system. A “Library on Wheels” option is also available. Sno-Isle has an extensive collection of gardening and related materials in a variety of formats, including books, DVDs, e-books, magazines, and academic journals. Multiple databases provide access to a wealth of materials. Sno-Isle hosts online and in-person events at many of its locations. Library staff can also help members with advanced research on topics of interest through an in-person or virtual session.
- More than 1,000 gardening-related traditional format books are available for checkout by library members.
- More than 1,200 online gardening-related e-books can be checked out on the library’s website.
- The library offers gardening courses on DVD, some of which can be checked out and the remainder accessed online. Examples include “The Great Courses: How to Grow Anything,” “The Science of Gardening,” containing 24 episodes on various gardening topics, and “The Botanist’s Eye: Identifying the Plants Around You.”
- More than 80 gardening magazines are available digitally, along with physical subscriptions to Fine Gardening, Garden Gate, Martha Stewart Gardening, Gardens Illustrated, and Gardeners’ World.
Upper Skagit Library, Concrete
By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Upper Skagit Library reports “all sorts of gardening books from small-scale to market gardening how-to books,” along with several field guides on PNW native plants, including weeds.
The Upper Skagit Library occupies a storefront space in Concrete and works in concert with the Central Skagit, Burlington, and La Conner Libraries, so you can get any book from those libraries delivered to the Upper Skagit Library. Their physical magazine subscriptions include Mother Earth News, Fine Gardening, and Garden Gate.
Librarian Cody Johansen suggests “Secret Gardeners: Growing a Community and Healing the Earth” as a great book on sustainable gardening practices for children.
For online local resources, the librarian recommends:
- “Sproutshare” is a Facebook group managed by Kerry Higgins at the Mansford Grange near Darrington. It hosts a community platform for posting available seeds, starts, and cuttings.
- “Seedtime” is a great app for planning and has educational courses as well.
- “Farm My Yard” is another great app for planning and shows which plants grow well in our area.
Elisabeth C. Miller Library, Seattle, Washington
By Ginny Bode, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener
The Elisabeth C. Miller Library serves as a premier horticultural resource for both the public and professionals. Located near U-Village and UW Stadium, your Washington State Driver’s License qualifies you to receive a library card.
The library has more than 15,000 books and 400 magazine titles in-house. Managed by the Elisabeth C. Miller Foundation (not the UW Library system), the library is a welcome oasis for learning about all things horticultural. The large children’s library, with 1,090 books in the Youth Collection available for borrowing and another 449 in the Parent/Teacher Resource Collection. It is easy to many resources on specific areas of horticulture within the huge collection of books and periodicals focusing on gardening, botany, landscape design, and plant sciences. The library is a treasure trove of learning, offering community programs, garden walks, lectures, workshops, botanical art shows, and children’s activities.
The Miller Library website keeps an up-to-date calendar of local plant sales, garden tours, a plant answer line (much like the Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic), and ongoing book reviews.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or planting your first seeds, your local library is ready to support your journey. By connecting people, sharing resources, and nurturing curiosity, libraries help gardens—and communities—flourish.
Library Reciprocity in Skagit County
(as provided by Central Skagit Librarian Anne Booker)
A brief overview:
- Skagit County does not have a countywide library system but rather six independent library districts. Many, but not all of the people living in Skagit County pay library-supporting taxes to one of these districts.
- Four of the library districts in the county have formed a consortium (Burlington, La Conner, Upper Skagit, Central Skagit). Patrons living in any of these four districts can use a card from any of these four libraries to check out at any of these four libraries.
- These four libraries share a catalog and share materials.
- Folks living in either the Mount Vernon Library district boundaries or the Anacortes Library district boundaries are able to get cards at any of the other libraries, but do require a separate card.
If someone lives outside the boundaries of any library district, they are still able to obtain a library card at any of the libraries in Skagit County, but will need to pay a fee directly to the library. The fee varies from library to library and grants access only to the library where it is paid.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
This article was researched by a team of Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, and was compiled by Ginny Bode with Kari Ranten, Linda Olmstead, Aven Wright-McIntosh, Cynthia Bjorkland, and Andrea Saxton.
Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.
Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.
What a wealth of material. This really opens doors to gardening knowledge. Thank you!
Very informative! What great resources we have.
A great article about local resources!