Regions: north

Ready in about 30 days and regrows after cutting. Harvest outer leaves and the plant keeps producing for weeks.

One plant in a 10-inch pot supplies a kitchen. Water at the base, not on the leaves, to avoid fungal spotting.

Spreads aggressively, so give it its own pot. A store-bought sprig will root in a glass of water in under a week.

Slow to start, then generous for decades. Feed with curd whey or diluted buttermilk once a month for glossy leaves.

A pest guard as much as a flower — plant it at the edge of vegetable beds. Deadhead often and it flowers…

Flowers on new growth, so prune hard after the monsoon. Loves a monthly dose of potash.

Scents an entire balcony at dusk. Prune in winter to keep it compact and flowering low down where you can reach.

The most-grown plant in Indian homes. Sacred, aromatic and genuinely useful — leaves steep into a tea that eases a cough. Pinch…