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.
34 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.Filters2 on
Sugarcaneगन्नाSaccharum officinarumA few canes in a corner give juice, gur and a green screen by October.
ApricotखुबानीPrunus armeniacaLadakh and Himachal fruit — blossom in March, fruit in June, dried for winter.MulberryशहतूतMorus albaFruit in March, silkworm leaves all summer, and shade in between.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.
Chinese Hat Plantटोपी फूलHolmskioldia sanguineaA sub-Himalayan scrambler with brick-red bracts through the cool months.Golden Shower VineसोनबेलPyrostegia venustaCurtains of orange through the cool months on a big pergola.PentasपेंटासPentas lanceolataFlat clusters of small stars that butterflies can actually land on.Harsingar ShrubसेवंतीChrysanthemum indicumThe garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali.SunflowerसूरजमुखीHelianthus annuusA fortnight of spectacle and then a head of seed the birds will take.Nasturtiumजलकुंभी फूलTropaeolum majusEdible flowers and leaves, and a magnet that pulls aphids off your vegetables.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.Onionप्याज़Allium cepaGrown from sets or seedlings; needs depth, sun and patience.
MarigoldगेंदाTagetes erectaCompanion-planting workhorse: keeps nematodes down and feeds bees all season.ChameliचमेलीJasminum grandiflorumThe Spanish jasmine of the perfume trade, grown widely in the north and west.
Not sure where to start?
How the library is organised