To be precise, she has identified 60 trees, 24 shrubs and 16 grasses. Why just 100 plants, you might ask. It is because precision is required. Plants need to be identified, matched to soil types and understood for their functions. It is better to make a useful selection. Wahi Dua’s book primarily serves as a manual. Don’t expect to spend time in bed reading the stories of plants and habitats. It is meant for landscape architects who know they should be going native but aren’t sure how they can get started. Wahi Dua is a landscape architect herself. She edits and runs LA Journal, which is for landscape architects, with her partner, Brij. They also do other interesting things like bringing out a series of green maps of Indian cities. The need to focus on plants arose during online classes she was giving to young landscape architects. They wanted to use native species but were short on the basics and were seeking a guide. Wahi Dua says: “The book is in response to an increasing awareness among development authorities and spatial designers about the role and significance of native plants in creating sustainable and experiential urban spaces.” “The plants have been selected on the basis of the diversity of the eco-zones to which they belong — riverside, plains, hills and lowlands. Also taken into account is their adaptability to urban contexts and visual attributes,” she says. Looked at this way, Delhi seems very different. We generally regard it as a city full of automobiles, congested housing and chaotic neighbourhood markets. What has gone is its integration with nature. Plants are vital to this original identity. They represent soil quality and water resources. They are the sentinels of an entire ecosystem consisting of birds, animals, butterflies, bees, fungi and more. Cities that have decisively changed can’t come back in their earlier avatars. But bringing back plants that restore some of those contexts can soften the blow of urbanization. Reminding Delhi of its original topography, natural wealth and sustainability has been creatively tried before. The Sunder Nursery is a flourishing example of different agroclimatic zones being brought alive. So is the Aravali Biodiversity Park on the border of Delhi and Gurugram. Both seek to revive lost natural systems. These are undoubtedly laudable efforts. Unfortunately, they haven’t received as much recognition and replication as they deserve. They are also limited in their scope of influencing practice. The city continues to change this way and that.