Plant library
What can I grow now?
30 plants can be sown in May in Himalaya & the hills. Narrow it further by space, goal or region — or step through the months below.
Frost, snow and a short season. Sow six to eight weeks earlier than the plains, and only frost-hardy kinds.
Filters1 on
30 plants match your filters
Clear all filters
AlderउतीसAlnus nepalensisA nitrogen-fixing pioneer of Himalayan landslides and north-eastern jhum fallows.
Amaranth GrainरामदानाAmaranthus cruentusGrown for seed rather than leaf; magenta heads over the whole monsoon.Bamboo Shoot Speciesबांस करीलDendrocalamus hamiltoniiThe north-eastern shoot bamboo — fermented shoots are a regional staple.Barnyard MilletसांवाEchinochloa frumentaceaA hill millet that tolerates waterlogging better than any other grain.Bay Leaf Treeतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree.
Bottle BrushचीलCallistemon citrinusRed brushes of stamens on drooping branches; a hardy naturalised garden tree.Buckwheatकुट्टूFagopyrum esculentumA Himalayan pseudo-grain that flowers white and feeds every bee for miles.CheuraचिउराAesandra butyraceaThe Himalayan butter tree, giving cooking fat and an enormous honey flow.Chinese Hat Plantटोपी फूलHolmskioldia sanguineaA sub-Himalayan scrambler with brick-red bracts through the cool months.Finger MilletरागीEleusine coracanaA tough small-grained millet of the southern and Himalayan hills.Haradहरड़Terminalia chebulaOne of the three fruits of triphala; a large deciduous tree of the sub-Himalayan tract.Harsingar ShrubसेवंतीChrysanthemum indicumThe garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali.Indian Bay Leafतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of north Indian cooking — a hill tree, not the Mediterranean bay.Indian Butter TreeचिउरीDiploknema butyraceaA sub-Himalayan tree giving edible fat and enormous quantities of nectar.Indian MahoganyटूनToona ciliataA tall hill-forest tree with pinnate leaves and scented pink-tinged timber.KachnarकचनारBauhinia variegataOrchid-like flowers in February, and buds that go into the north-Indian kitchen.