Plant library
What can I grow now?
29 plants in the library can be sown in April. Narrow it further by space, goal or region — or step through the months below.
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Aak Bushआँकड़ाLeptadenia pyrotechnicaA leafless broom-like desert shrub that fixes sand and feeds camels.
AmaranthचौलाईAmaranthus tricolorThe monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof, ready in a month.Blue Vandaनील ऑर्किडVanda coeruleaThe blue vanda of Meghalaya — tessellated flowers, and protected in the wild.
Brahmiब्राह्मीBacopa monnieriA creeping marsh herb happy in a wide bowl of wet soil — the one plant you cannot…Champaचम्पाPlumeria rubraGrows from a bare cutting pushed into dry soil; scents a whole terrace.Chow Chowइस्कुसSechium eduleThe squash that covers a whole roof in one season across the eastern hills.Cockscombलाल मुर्गाCelosia argenteaVelvet crested heads that hold colour for weeks, in sun or half shade.CucumberखीराCucumis sativusFast, thirsty and best trained up a net where air can move around it.DendrobiumसंचारीDendrobium nobileCane orchid of the eastern hills, flowering along last year’s bare canes.
DrumstickसहजनMoringa oleiferaThe fastest useful tree there is — 3 m in a year, edible leaves and pods.Elephant Foot YamजिमीकंदAmorphophallus paeoniifoliusOne corm fills a large pot and returns a much bigger one in a year.Foxtail Orchidद्रौपदी मालाRhynchostylis retusaThe kopou phul of Assam — hanging foxtail sprays, and the flower of Bihu.Frangipani WhiteगुलचीनPlumeria albaThe white frangipani of temple gardens, tougher than the pink and just as scented.Green GramमूंगVigna radiataSixty days from sowing to dal, and sproutable on a kitchen shelf.Indian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.JuteपटसनCorchorus olitoriusBengal’s fibre crop, and its young leaves are a monsoon green.