Goals: Herbs & healing

A woody climber of the dry deccan, slow but very long-lived on a trellis.

A high-altitude Himalayan herb — only worth trying in the hills, and only from nursery stock.

The spikenard of the high Himalaya, aromatic-rooted and strictly a mountain plant.

A slight winter annual of dry western fields, grown for the husk of its seed.

A dry-country shrub with yellow flowers, tough enough for a Rajasthan roof.

A winter annual of the north-west, grown for the thyme-scented seed.

Plant a knob of market haldi in June; harvest your own in February.

The same trick as turmeric, in slightly more shade and slightly less time.

A climbing vine of the monsoon, long used in home remedies and generous with shade.

A creeping marsh herb happy in a wide bowl of wet soil — the one plant you cannot overwater.