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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Malabar Glory LilyकलिहारीGloriosa superbaFlame-red reflexed petals on a climbing lily — the state flower of Tamil Nadu.
Lemon Grass Palmarosaरोशा घासCymbopogon martiniiThe palmarosa of the Deccan, distilled for a rose-scented oil.Neem-leaf Chaste Treeनिर्गुंडीVitex negundoA scrambling roadside shrub with palmate leaves and small blue flower spikes.
Indian GooseberryआमलाPhyllanthus emblicaFeathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household in winter.LimeनींबूCitrus aurantiifoliaKagzi lime — the single most useful pot tree for an Indian household.PapayaपपीताCarica papayaFruit inside a year from seed — the fastest fruit a household can grow.BarleriaकटसरैयाBarleria prionitisA spiny yellow-flowered shrub of dry scrub, unbothered by heat or thin soil.Garlic Vineलहसुन बेलMansoa alliaceaPurple trumpet flushes twice a year, and leaves that smell of garlic when crushed.VincaसदाबहारCatharanthus roseusFlowers every day of the year and asks for nothing. Indigenous to the deccan.
GarlicलहसुनAllium sativumPlant single cloves in October and lift whole bulbs in March.DrumstickसहजनMoringa oleiferaThe fastest useful tree there is — 3 m in a year, edible leaves and pods.
Curry Leafकढ़ी पत्ताMurraya koenigiiA small tree that lives happily in a deep pot and gives leaves all year.Rosha Grassरोशा घासCymbopogon martiniiPalmarosa — a scented grass of the central hills, distilled for its rose-like oil.Bitter GourdकरेलाMomordica charantiaA tough climber that fruits through the worst humidity of the year.Indian SarsaparillaअनंतमूलHemidesmus indicusA slender twiner of scrub and hedges, with fragrant roots and small dark flowers.NeemनीमAzadirachta indicaThe street tree of the plains; even a potted seedling supplies leaves for a pest spray.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.