Plant library
What can I grow now?
26 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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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.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.Crown Flowerसफेद आकCalotropis proceraThe desert milkweed, smaller than gigantea and even tougher.CucumberखीराCucumis sativusFast, thirsty and best trained up a net where air can move around it.
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.Guggulगुग्गुलCommiphora wightiiA thorny desert shrub whose resin has been traded for millennia; now endangered.Indian AloeघृतकुमारीAloe veraNear-indestructible succulent for a bright sill; water only when the soil is dry through.Indian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.LemongrassगंधतृणCymbopogon citratusA clump of scented grass that mosquitoes avoid and tea drinkers cannot do without.