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Grihvatika Journal

Regions: west

Ashoka

Orange flower clusters straight off the trunk — a sacred tree, now threatened.

Palash

Flame of the forest — bare branches and orange flowers through the dry spring.

Crepe Jasmine

Neat glossy shrub with pinwheel white flowers; the easiest good hedge there is.

Kamini

Orange jessamine — flushes of scented white flowers after every rain.

Harsingar Shrub

The garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali.

Tuberose

Bulbs planted in March give heavily scented white spikes through the monsoon.

Marvel of Peru

Opens at four in the afternoon and self-sows itself around the garden.

Zinnia

The most reliable cut flower for an Indian summer terrace.

Sunflower

A fortnight of spectacle and then a head of seed the birds will take.

Nasturtium

Edible flowers and leaves, and a magnet that pulls aphids off your vegetables.