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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62 plants match your filters
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Kodo MilletकोदोPaspalum scrobiculatumThe kodo of the Deccan and central hills — drought-proof and long-storing.RiceधानOryza sativaHalf the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.
Rose Appleगुलाब जामुनSyzygium jambosPale crisp fruit that smells of rose water, on a small spreading evergreen.TaroअरबीColocasia esculentaBig heart leaves on a wet corner; the corm below and the leaf above both go to the…
Indian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.
Sabjaसब्जाOcimum basilicum (seed type)Grown for the seed that swells in falooda and summer sherbets.Sugarcaneगन्नाSaccharum officinarumA few canes in a corner give juice, gur and a green screen by October.Black Pepperकाली मिर्चPiper nigrumThe vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity.Tamarind Leaf SorrelगोंगुराHibiscus sabdariffaThe gongura of Andhra kitchens — sour leaves and later, calyces for sherbet.Roselleअम्बाड़ीHibiscus sabdariffa var. altissimaGrown for fibre and calyces in the west and centre; a striking tall annual.BerबेरZiziphus mauritianaThe fruit of the dry west, cropping where irrigation is impossible.Indian GooseberryआमलाPhyllanthus emblicaFeathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household in winter.
KarondaकरौंदाCarissa carandasA thorny hedge shrub that gives pickling fruit and keeps animals out.PhalsaफालसाGrewia asiaticaSmall sour-sweet berries in May, from a shrub that shrugs off a Delhi summer.FigअंजीरFicus caricaTwo crops a year in the west, and content in a large container.PomegranateअनारPunica granatumHandsome, thorny and productive on poor dry soil; good in a big pot.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.