Overview
Gardening is a pastime that has been around since the creation of organized agriculture starting at the end of the last Ice Age. In Colorado, gardening takes on some additional concerns around climate, water availability, soil quality, native plants, and weather- or cold-hardy plants. This guide is designed to give you an overview of the topic and where to find resources at Old Town Library as well as on the Poudre Libraries website and associated digital platforms and locations such as Hoopla, Kanopy, Plant Select® , and Colorado State University Extension. There are also ideas for local plant nurseries and gardens where you can see Colorado gardening in action on the Additional Resources page.
Location at Old Town Library
All of the print resources listed in this guide are found on the north side of the second floor of Old Town Library in the Non-fiction section. This includes library-use-only reference books, which are on the bookshelves in Non-fiction, and popular magazines, which are in the second floor reading area in the northwest corner of the building. DVDs are available in the Media area on the first floor to the right of the circulation desks in the southwest corner of the building. It is always a good idea to check New Non-fiction on the main floor near the circulation desks because Old Town Library gets new gardening resources regularly. Finally, online resources can be found on the Poudre Libraries website, either by using the links provided here, by searching the online catalog, or by clicking through to the other sites, including government extension service resources through Colorado State University, listed on the Additional Resources page.
Call numbers and organization
Generally speaking, non-fiction gardening books are found in the 631 - 635 section in Non-fiction on the second floor. Library-use-only reference books in this guide are found in the 503 and 581 sections in Non-fiction. Additional information on pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds can also be found in the 595 section in Non-fiction, and books on landscaping can be found in the 712 - 716 section in Non-fiction. Be sure to check the Oversize section in Non-fiction, across the aisle from Foreign Language books on the second floor because many gardening and landscaping books are oversize items.
Popular magazines are organized alphabetically by title on shelves in the second floor reading area in the northwest corner of the building. Scientific articles and journals are searchable in the databases and indexes listed on the Research tab on the Poudre Libraries website.
Library of Congress subject headings
The Library of Congress maintains searchable subject headings for many topics, which can be used in the Poudre Libraries online catalog. For gardening in Colorado, these include:
Primary:
Gardening
Gardening - Colorado
Gardening - West (U.S.)
Gardening - Great Plains
Gardening - Rocky Mountains Region
Gardening - Southwest, New
Gardens - West (U.S.)
Gardens - West (U.S.) - Pictoral works
Landscape gardening
Landscaping
Landscaping - Colorado
Perennials
Perennials - Encyclopedias
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping - Colorado
Secondary:
Alpine garden plants - West (U.S.)
Bees
Bees - Conservation
Compost
Drought-tolerant plants - Colorado
Drought-tolerant plants - United States
Insect pollinators
Insect pollinators - Conservation
Landscape gardening - Rocky Mountains Region
Landscape gardening - Water conservation - Colorado
Low-maintenance gardening
Native plants for cultivation - West (U.S.)
Weeds
Catalog search terms
Some general search terms to consider when looking for Colorado gardening resources in the Poudre Libraries online catalog are:
Colorado gardening
Composting
Perennials
Landscaping
Low water gardening
Native Colorado plants
Pollinators
Pollinator gardens
Rock gardens
Weeds
Xeriscaping