The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library is a grassroots organization that promotes gardening with native plants to provide food and habitat for bees, butterflies, insects, birds, and other wildlife.
We are built on three pillars:
- Provide free access to seeds
- Teach people about gardening responsibly
- Ask seed recipients to reciprocate the gift of nature
Just like a regular library, the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library provides free seeds and plants that people can “check out” to grow in their own gardens. Once the plants have flowered and gone to seed, people can “return” some seeds to the library to make them available for other people.
Learn more by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Since 2020, over 8,000 community projects, schools and individuals received free native seeds in Ottawa, the Ottawa valley and in five other provinces. Of these recipients were at least a dozen city schools where students were able to participate in hands-on gardening with native plants. In addition to seeds, more than 1,700 community projects, schools and individuals have received free native plants in the last two years. The Seed Library disseminates accessible scientific information related to good ecological practices and tools on harvesting native seeds, through an impressive social media presence and through presentations throughout our city. Since 2023, 10,600 individuals have received information on the importance of native plants in ecosystems.
Help us continue to maintain habitat corridors for our wildlife and donate your native plant seeds!
The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library acknowledges that the land we grow and gather on is the traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinaabe nations. Respect was lost for nature and Indigenous peoples through colonialization, racism and individualism. May our collective work restore our relationships with our human, plant, insect and animal communities.