Flowers
Alyssum
A low growing annual flower, alyssum is very hardy and easy to grow, especially from seed. It is a beautiful garden favourite that can be used as low maintenance edging or as a ground cover. Alyssum does well in most conditions from full sun to light shade.
Find out more.
Find out more.
Cosmos
A hardy, easy to grow, heirloom garden favourite with a charming and vibrant flower. As a leafy annual, Cosmos makes a good background plant for your garden, growing over a metre tall. Flowers attract bees, insects and butterflies to their nectar, as well as making beautiful cut flowers for your home.
Find out more.
Find out more.
Lagos Spinach
A very decorative perennial, this leafy green herb/vegetable is often grown in the ornamental garden. This plant loves full sun and thrives in manured, well-drained soil. Blooming in mid Spring to Summer, the flower heads last up to 8 weeks.
Find out more
Find out more
Marigold
An annual plant that likes full sun and blooms for a long period, Marigolds will brighten any garden and can be used as an edging along garden beds or in pots. They have long been believed to be a helpful addition to the organic garden. Marigolds can be dried for long lasting floral arrangements. Find out more.
Nasturtium
A hardy, low maintenance, edible plant providing both useful and attractive qualities. Thrives in poor, dry soil, requiring little water. The semi-double flowers are sweetly scented and come in vivid colours of yellow, orange, salmon and red. Plants bloom for a long period and the edible leaves are bright green and shaped like a lily-pad. Find out more.
Sunflower (NEW)
Sunflowers add joy to any garden and are great at attracting birds and bees. Flower petals are edible and brighten up a salad. Growing quite tall (1-3m), they can provide support for climbing beans and can be useful as a windbreak.
Herbs & Spices
Basil
A hardy, low maintenance and essential herb, basil is an annual plant that grows well in many climates. It can be sown from spring to mid-summer and germinates best in warm conditions and is a fantastic partner to any tomato plant. Basil loves to be picked – the more you harvest, the more the plant will grow
Find out more.
Find out more.
Borage (NEW)
Borage has blue, starry flowers and hairy foliage. It is a lovely addition to any garden or herb patch. Borage has been used in traditional medicine, and leaves are often used as a dry herb or in tea. Fresh borage can be used as a garnish.
Chilli – Bishop’s Crown
A mild chilli, the Bishop’s Crown is a bushy plant that loves a warm sunny spot with deep, well-drained soil. A versatile chilli with a crisp, sweet, fruity flavour, they are delicious in salsa and salad. The more chillies you harvest from your plant, the happier it will be.
Find out more.
Find out more.
Coriander
An annual herb with green leaves and seeds that can be used in curry, salad, pesto, chutney, soup and salsa. Coriander has small, white and mauve flowers that attract insects to your garden in summer. Cilantro refers to the leaves of the plant while coriander refers to the seeds (which can be ground and used as a spice).
Find out more.
Find out more.
Dill
A useful, hardy, bushy plant that has edible feathery foliage and seeds. The leaves are often used as a garnish and are delicious on salmon, or for flavouring mayonnaise, tartare sauce and salad dressing. Seeds are most commonly used for pickling. Bees and other insects love Dill as they gather pollen and eat nectar from the flowers. Find out more.
Parsley – Italian
A hardy, low maintenance, edible plant providing both useful and attractive qualities. Thrives in poor, dry soil, requiring little water. The semi-double flowers are sweetly scented and come in vivid colours of yellow, orange, salmon and red. Plants bloom for a long period and the edible leaves are bright green and shaped like a lily-pad. Find out more.
Vegetables and Legumes
Bean – Snake
Snake beans have long, dark green, slender pods with red seeds. They are very nutritious with a slightly sweet flavour and a crunchy texture. You can use them fresh or steamed in stir-fries or curries. Pods are best picked around 30cm when the seed is small and more flavoursome. Find out more.
Cucumber
Delicious fresh or pickled, cucumbers are used in many dishes all around the world. Cucumber plants grow similar to a vine, grown best when grown vertically.
It’s recommended to train them up some lattice, a fence, or even an archway.
Find out more.
It’s recommended to train them up some lattice, a fence, or even an archway.
Find out more.
Lettuce – Salad Bowl Green
A very decorative perennial, this leafy green herb/vegetable is often grown in the ornamental garden. This plant loves full sun and thrives in manured, well-drained soil. Blooming in mid Spring to Summer, the flower heads last up to 8 weeks.
Find out more
Find out more
Pea – Sugarsnap
Crispy and sweet, Sugarsnap peas can be enjoyed in their pods. This annual plant will grow in an open, sunny site with little shade. As a bush variety, the Sugarsnap plant does not require a trellis, but benefits from staking as it grows.
Find out more.
Find out more.
Pumpkin (NEW)
Pumpkins need a good-sized area as they can spread their vines. You can grow them vertically over a fence or archway if space is limited. For best results, incorporate plenty of well-rotted animal manure before planting.
Tomato – Tommy Toe
A regular award winner, this 3cm heirloom cherry tomato has a rich, sweet flavour. This is a high fruit producing plant that copes well with heat and humidity. It will require staking as it is a climbing plant. Find out more.
Donations to the Seed Library
Donations are accepted. These seeds are added to our ‘Lucky dig’ collection that is available to the public. Please give your donated seeds to staff at the customer service desk. You will be asked to fill out a form telling us a bit about the seeds such as the seed name, date of harvest, suburb where your seed was grown, and a bit about its origin story. We prefer to accept open-pollinated or heirloom seeds as opposed to hybrid seeds as seeds saved from hybrid plants come from two parents and won’t always produce a plant like the one from which they were harvested. If you’re not sure if your seeds are open-pollinated, heirloom or hybrid please don’t panic. We’d still love to accept them!
Partners
Partnering with Permaculture Noosa and the Cooroy Community Permaculture Garden, Seed Library will draw on the local knowledge and experts in the field to guide the program in all things growing and seeds.
The seed packets will be beautiful works of art with designs commissioned from local artists with the help of the Butter Factory Arts Centre. Selected artists will gain exposure for their works while broadening community awareness of their missions and services.
Proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government and the State Library of Queensland.