Plant library
Explore Plants
Filter by what you want to grow, the space you have and the season you are in.
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Kodo MilletकोदोPaspalum scrobiculatumThe kodo of the Deccan and central hills — drought-proof and long-storing.Proso MilletचीनाPanicum miliaceumA short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.
Malabar Glory LilyकलिहारीGloriosa superbaFlame-red reflexed petals on a climbing lily — the state flower of Tamil Nadu.
Lemon Grass Palmarosaरोशा घासCymbopogon martiniiThe palmarosa of the Deccan, distilled for a rose-scented oil.OleanderकनेरNerium oleanderPink or white flowers all year on a shrub that survives the worst urban roadside.LantanaपंचफूलीLantana camaraInvasive across Indian forests — grow the sterile garden cultivars only, never the wild kind.Coral Jasmine VineकुंदJasminum multiflorumA soft-haired jasmine that flowers through the cool months on a low wall.Spanish JasmineचमेलीJasminum grandiflorumThe chameli of the perfume fields — long-tubed white flowers picked before dawn.Night JasmineहरसिंगारNyctanthes arbor-tristisWhite flowers with orange tubes that open at night and are on the ground by dawn.Water Chestnutसिंघाड़ाTrapa natansSinghara — a floating annual grown in ponds and tanks across the north and east.Neem-leaf Chaste Treeनिर्गुंडीVitex negundoA scrambling roadside shrub with palmate leaves and small blue flower spikes.HennaमेहंदीLawsonia inermisThe mehndi hedge of the dry west — scented flowers and dye leaves.VetiverखसChrysopogon zizanioidesKhus — a grass whose roots hold a slope together and scent a summer room.Tamarind Leaf SorrelगोंगुराHibiscus sabdariffaThe gongura of Andhra kitchens — sour leaves and later, calyces for sherbet.Roselleअम्बाड़ीHibiscus sabdariffa var. altissimaGrown for fibre and calyces in the west and centre; a striking tall annual.Cotton Nativeदेशी कपासGossypium arboreumDesi cotton — the indigenous species, hardier than the imported kinds.Not sure where to start?
Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.
How the library is organised
By regionEach entry notes where the plant grows well across India, from the Gangetic plain to coastal soils.
By seasonSowing windows for every month, so you never plant a winter green in May.
By spaceWindowsill, balcony, terrace or ground — filtered so you only see what will survive with you.
Checked by a botanistNames and facts are reviewed before publication; traditional uses are labelled as traditional.