Warren County Public Library (WCPL) patrons now have access to free native seeds thanks to a partnership between Wild Ones Southern Kentucky Chapter and WCPL. Members and supporters of Wild Ones SOKY worked together to harvest, package, and label seeds from plants native to our region. Our chapter donated more than 600 seed packets to help Warren County residents acquire native plants that benefit local habitats.
Each WCPL location offers a Seed Library with a wide variety of plants. Library visitors can check out up to five seed packets each day. The new native seed packets are located in a drawer labeled Native Plants. The donated seeds include pollinator favorites like purple coneflower, Eastern red columbine, and several species of milkweed.
Winter is an ideal time to sow native seeds because most native species require a month or more in cold winter weather to break their dormancy and start the germination process. To learn more about winter sowing native seeds, review our Guide to Growing Native Plants from Seed or join us for our Winter Sowing Workshop at Lost River Cave on Thursday, February 8, 6–7 p.m. Registration is available at soky.wildones.org/events.
Native plants provide food and shelter for local wildlife, restoring and protecting biodiversity. There are real benefits for humans as well. They improve water and air quality with their deep root systems, which mitigate localized flooding and store carbon that would otherwise enter our atmosphere. Residents can stop by any WCPL library branch to explore the seed library and take home seed packets. For addresses and hours, visit warrenpl.org/locations.
The Wild Ones SOKY Chapter is incredibly grateful to the Warren County Public Library for their partnership!