Plant library
Explore Plants
Filter by what you want to grow, the space you have and the season you are in.
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Malabar Glory LilyकलिहारीGloriosa superbaFlame-red reflexed petals on a climbing lily — the state flower of Tamil Nadu.
Lemon Grass Palmarosaरोशा घासCymbopogon martiniiThe palmarosa of the Deccan, distilled for a rose-scented oil.Coral Jasmine VineकुंदJasminum multiflorumA soft-haired jasmine that flowers through the cool months on a low wall.Spanish JasmineचमेलीJasminum grandiflorumThe chameli of the perfume fields — long-tubed white flowers picked before dawn.OleanderकनेरNerium oleanderPink or white flowers all year on a shrub that survives the worst urban roadside.
Sausage Treeबलम खीराKigelia africanaMaroon night flowers on long ropes, then metre-long fruit that alarms everybody.Night JasmineहरसिंगारNyctanthes arbor-tristisWhite flowers with orange tubes that open at night and are on the ground by dawn.Silk CottonसेमलBombax ceibaFat red flowers on a bare grey trunk, then pods of cotton that blow down every street.Flame of the ForestपलाशButea monospermaBare branches and orange claws of flower in February — the tree that announces Holi.Indian Kinoपलास बेलButea superbaA big orange-flowered climber of central forest, dramatic on a strong pergola.HennaमेहंदीLawsonia inermisThe mehndi hedge of the dry west — scented flowers and dye leaves.Kans GrassकांसSaccharum spontaneumThe silver-plumed grass of autumn riverbanks — Durga Puja in plant form.Silk Cotton RedसेमलBombax ceibaRed February cups feeding every bird in the neighbourhood at once.
Roselleअम्बाड़ीHibiscus sabdariffa var. altissimaGrown for fibre and calyces in the west and centre; a striking tall annual.Cotton Nativeदेशी कपासGossypium arboreumDesi cotton — the indigenous species, hardier than the imported kinds.IndigoनीलIndigofera tinctoriaThe dye plant of history, nitrogen-fixing and undemanding.Not sure where to start?
Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.
How the library is organised
By regionEach entry notes where the plant grows well across India, from the Gangetic plain to coastal soils.
By seasonSowing windows for every month, so you never plant a winter green in May.
By spaceWindowsill, balcony, terrace or ground — filtered so you only see what will survive with you.
Checked by a botanistNames and facts are reviewed before publication; traditional uses are labelled as traditional.