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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Hill Gooseberryकिलमोड़ाBerberis asiaticaA thorny yellow-wooded Himalayan shrub with blue berries and traditional root use.
Bay Leaf Treeतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree.Sichuan PepperतिमूरZanthoxylum armatumTimur — the numbing hill pepper of the eastern Himalaya, on a thorny shrub.
Madderमंजिष्ठाRubia cordifoliaA scrambling hill plant whose root gives a lasting red dye.SoapnutरीठाSapindus mukorossiReetha — the washing fruit of the sub-Himalayan tract, from a good shade tree.Seabuckthornलेह बेरीHippophae rhamnoidesA cold-desert shrub of Ladakh, nitrogen-fixing and vitamin-dense.Ginger Lilyकपूर कचरीHedychium spicatumA Himalayan ginger relative with scented white flowers and aromatic rhizomes.Haradहरड़Terminalia chebulaOne of the three fruits of triphala; a large deciduous tree of the sub-Himalayan tract.Shatavar VineसतावरAsparagus adscendensA white-rooted asparagus of the north-western hills, grown on terraces and bunds.RatanjotरतनजोतAlkanna tinctoriaA dry-hill root used to colour oil a deep red; slight above ground, tough below.ChirataचिरायताSwertia chirayitaAn intensely bitter Himalayan herb of mid-altitude meadows, slow and particular.Stone Flowerपत्थर फूलParmotrema perlatumThe lichen of the spice box — not planted, but a reason to keep old trees standing.Indian ValerianतगरValeriana jatamansiA hill herb of stream banks with aromatic roots and heads of small white flowers.KutkiकुटकीPicrorhiza kurroaA high-altitude Himalayan herb — only worth trying in the hills, and only from nursery stock.JatamansiजटामांसीNardostachys jatamansiThe spikenard of the high Himalaya, aromatic-rooted and strictly a mountain plant.Sweet FlagवचAcorus calamusA marginal water plant for a tub, aromatic-rooted and steady for years.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.