Explore Plants
Indian plants documented for the way people actually garden — filter by what you want the plant to do, the space you have, the month you can sow and the region you are in. The result count below is live.
Use the filters on the plant archive to narrow by goal, growing space and season. Every record carries a Hindi name, a botanical name, a care note and the months in which to sow.
12 plants match your filters Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.Filters3 on
HennaमेहंदीLawsonia inermisThe mehndi hedge of the dry west — scented flowers and dye leaves.TecomaतेकोमाTecoma stansYellow bells almost all year on a shrub that survives a forgotten terrace.LotusकमलNelumbo nuciferaThe national flower — a big tub, full sun and patience is all it takes.MilkweedआकCalotropis giganteaHost plant for tiger butterflies — plant one and the caterpillars arrive.Crown Flowerसफेद आकCalotropis proceraThe desert milkweed, smaller than gigantea and even tougher.Lantana NativeराईमुनियाLantana camaraA relentless nectar plant — and an invasive that must be kept in a pot.Marvel of Peruगुल-ए-बासMirabilis jalapaOpens at four in the afternoon and self-sows itself around the garden.Zinniaजिन्नियाZinnia elegansThe most reliable cut flower for an Indian summer terrace.SunflowerसूरजमुखीHelianthus annuusA fortnight of spectacle and then a head of seed the birds will take.
SesameतिलSesamum indicumUpright, bell-flowered and ancient; the oilseed of the dry season.Guggulगुग्गुलCommiphora wightiiA thorny desert shrub whose resin has been traded for millennia; now endangered.SennaसनायSenna alexandrinaA dry-country shrub with yellow flowers, tough enough for a Rajasthan roof.
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