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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12 plants match your filters
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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.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.