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.
52 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.Filters1 on
Water Lettuceजल सलादPistia stratiotesA floating rosette that shades a tub and starves the algae — but a weed if it escapes.
Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.Sacred Lotus Stemकमल ककड़ीNelumbo nucifera (rhizome)The same lotus, grown in deep mud for the crisp rhizome of the Kashmiri kitchen.
Arabian JasmineमोगराJasminum sambacA pot by an open window does more for a summer evening than any air freshener.Aak Bushआँकड़ाLeptadenia pyrotechnicaA leafless broom-like desert shrub that fixes sand and feeds camels.Chinese Hibiscusगुड़हलHibiscus rosa-sinensisFlowers nearly all year in a warm city, and sunbirds find it within a week.Indian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.
Ram Tulsiराम तुलसीOcimum basilicumSweet basil — indigenous cultivation across India long before its pizza career.HennaमेहंदीLawsonia inermisThe mehndi hedge of the dry west — scented flowers and dye leaves.Sugarcaneगन्नाSaccharum officinarumA few canes in a corner give juice, gur and a green screen by October.TecomaतेकोमाTecoma stansYellow bells almost all year on a shrub that survives a forgotten terrace.
PapayaपपीताCarica papayaFruit inside a year from seed — the fastest fruit a household can grow.Water LilyकुमुदिनीNymphaea nouchaliA cement tub of still water becomes a dragonfly habitat in one season.LotusकमलNelumbo nuciferaThe national flower — a big tub, full sun and patience is all it takes.Frangipani WhiteगुलचीनPlumeria albaThe white frangipani of temple gardens, tougher than the pink and just as scented.MilkweedआकCalotropis giganteaHost plant for tiger butterflies — plant one and the caterpillars arrive.
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