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Explore Plants

Indian plants documented for the way people actually garden — filter by what you want the plant to do, the space you have, the month you can sow and the region you are in. The result count below is live.

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Use the filters on the plant archive to narrow by goal, growing space and season. Every record carries a Hindi name, a botanical name, a care note and the months in which to sow.

Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaLady’s Slipper Orchidलेडी स्लिपरPaphiopedilum insigneA pouched terrestrial orchid of the eastern Himalaya, cool-growing and slow.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumWater Cressजलकुंभी सागNasturtium officinaleA peppery salad green for a shady tray of running or frequently changed water.Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaPentasपेंटासPentas lanceolataFlat clusters of small stars that butterflies can actually land on.Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaHarsingar ShrubसेवंतीChrysanthemum indicumThe garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali.Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaNasturtiumजलकुंभी फूलTropaeolum majusEdible flowers and leaves, and a magnet that pulls aphids off your vegetables.Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaVincaसदाबहारCatharanthus roseusFlowers every day of the year and asks for nothing. Indigenous to the deccan.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumSpring Onionहरा प्याज़Allium fistulosumRegrows from the root end of a shop-bought bunch — the cheapest crop there is.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumGarlicलहसुनAllium sativumPlant single cloves in October and lift whole bulbs in March.Marigold (गेंदा), Tagetes erectaMarigoldगेंदाTagetes erectaCompanion-planting workhorse: keeps nematodes down and feeds bees all season.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumFrench Beanफ्रेंच बीनPhaseolus vulgarisBush beans for winter troughs; pole kinds for a balcony net.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumRadishमूलीRaphanus sativusA deep trough and forty days is all it asks. Thin ruthlessly for straight roots.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumBeetrootचुकंदरBeta vulgarisRoots below, usable leaves above, and it tolerates a container better than carrot.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumTomatoटमाटरSolanum lycopersicumOne good plant in a 40 cm pot out-yields four crowded ones. Stake it early.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumPalakपालकSpinacia oleraceaCut-and-come-again greens ready in six weeks from a shallow trough.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumMethiमेथीTrigonella foenum-graecumSow thickly in a wide tray and cut the whole crop at three weeks.Kodo Millet (कोदो), Paspalum scrobiculatumCorianderधनियाCoriandrum sativumBolts in heat, thrives in the cool months. Sow every fortnight for a steady supply.

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Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.

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How the library is organised

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By regionEach entry notes where the plant grows well across India, from the Gangetic plain to coastal soils.
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By seasonSowing windows for every month, so you never plant a winter green in May.
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By spaceWindowsill, balcony, terrace or ground — filtered so you only see what will survive with you.
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Checked by a botanistNames and facts are reviewed before publication; traditional uses are labelled as traditional.