Plant library
Explore Plants
Filter by what you want to grow, the space you have and the season you are in.
Filters3 on
10 plants match your filters
Clear all filters
Blue Vandaनील ऑर्किडVanda coeruleaThe blue vanda of Meghalaya — tessellated flowers, and protected in the wild.
Lotus-leaf PennywortखुरखुरीHydrocotyle sibthorpioidesA tiny creeping mat for the wet edge of a tub — the softest possible ground cover.Shoe Flower HedgeजपाHibiscus syriacusA hardier deciduous hibiscus for the hills, flowering through the monsoon.Bottle BrushचीलCallistemon citrinusRed brushes of stamens on drooping branches; a hardy naturalised garden tree.Chinese Hat Plantटोपी फूलHolmskioldia sanguineaA sub-Himalayan scrambler with brick-red bracts through the cool months.
KachnarकचनारBauhinia variegataOrchid-like flowers in February, and buds that go into the north-Indian kitchen.Harsingar ShrubसेवंतीChrysanthemum indicumThe garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali.Nasturtiumजलकुंभी फूलTropaeolum majusEdible flowers and leaves, and a magnet that pulls aphids off your vegetables.
Amaranth GrainरामदानाAmaranthus cruentusGrown for seed rather than leaf; magenta heads over the whole monsoon.RatanjotरतनजोतAlkanna tinctoriaA dry-hill root used to colour oil a deep red; slight above ground, tough below.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.