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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Foxtail Orchidद्रौपदी मालाRhynchostylis retusaThe kopou phul of Assam — hanging foxtail sprays, and the flower of Bihu.Blue Vandaनील ऑर्किडVanda coeruleaThe blue vanda of Meghalaya — tessellated flowers, and protected in the wild.
Staghorn Fernस्टैगहॉर्नPlatycerium wallichiiAn antler-shaped epiphytic fern of Assam’s forests, mounted on a board.Lotus-leaf PennywortखुरखुरीHydrocotyle sibthorpioidesA tiny creeping mat for the wet edge of a tub — the softest possible ground cover.
Rose Appleगुलाब जामुनSyzygium jambosPale crisp fruit that smells of rose water, on a small spreading evergreen.Red Water Lilyरक्त कमलNymphaea rubraThe deep red night-flowering lily of eastern tanks and temple ponds.Giant Taroमान कचुAlocasia macrorrhizosEnormous upright leaves for a wet shaded corner — architecture rather than a crop.MussaendaमुसैंडाMussaenda frondosaOne enlarged white sepal per flower, so the whole shrub reads as pale bracts.Madhavi Lataमाधवी लताHiptage benghalensisA woody climber with fringed white-and-yellow flowers and a heavy sweet scent.Champakचम्पाMagnolia champacaOrange-yellow flowers whose scent carries across a whole garden at dusk.Chinese Hat Plantटोपी फूलHolmskioldia sanguineaA sub-Himalayan scrambler with brick-red bracts through the cool months.BananaकेलाMusa acuminataA single sucker in a corner gives shade, cooking leaves and, in time, fruit.Water LilyकुमुदिनीNymphaea nouchaliA cement tub of still water becomes a dragonfly habitat in one season.Ratanjyot Flowerकृष्णकमलPassiflora incarnataPassion flower — intricate blooms and the host plant of tawny coster butterflies.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.