Growing spaces: ground

Drought-hardy bean of the west — fixes nitrogen and crops where little else will.

Host plant for tiger butterflies — plant one and the caterpillars arrive on their own.

Grows from a bare cutting pushed into dry soil; flowers scent a whole terrace.

A slow, tough native tree for a hot courtyard, with fruit that makes the summer sherbet.

The fastest useful tree there is — 3 m in a year, with edible leaves and pods.

Peppery leaves in five weeks, and yellow flowers for the bees if you let a few stalks run on.

The monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof and ready in a month.

Cut-and-come-again greens for a kitchen garden — ready in six weeks from a shallow trough.

A clump of scented grass that mosquitoes avoid and tea drinkers cannot do without.

A hardy monsoon spreader with long traditional use, easy to grow and valuable for small insects.