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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Lady’s Slipper Orchidलेडी स्लिपरPaphiopedilum insigneA pouched terrestrial orchid of the eastern Himalaya, cool-growing and slow.
Water Cressजलकुंभी सागNasturtium officinaleA peppery salad green for a shady tray of running or frequently changed water.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.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.Spring Onionहरा प्याज़Allium fistulosumRegrows from the root end of a shop-bought bunch — the cheapest crop there is.GarlicलहसुनAllium sativumPlant single cloves in October and lift whole bulbs in March.
MarigoldगेंदाTagetes erectaCompanion-planting workhorse: keeps nematodes down and feeds bees all season.French Beanफ्रेंच बीनPhaseolus vulgarisBush beans for winter troughs; pole kinds for a balcony net.PalakपालकSpinacia oleraceaCut-and-come-again greens ready in six weeks from a shallow trough.MethiमेथीTrigonella foenum-graecumSow thickly in a wide tray and cut the whole crop at three weeks.RadishमूलीRaphanus sativusA deep trough and forty days is all it asks. Thin ruthlessly for straight roots.BeetrootचुकंदरBeta vulgarisRoots below, usable leaves above, and it tolerates a container better than carrot.TomatoटमाटरSolanum lycopersicumOne good plant in a 40 cm pot out-yields four crowded ones. Stake it early.CorianderधनियाCoriandrum sativumBolts in heat, thrives in the cool months. Sow every fortnight for a steady supply.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.