Garden plants for Kenya
81 plants that appear on garden plant lists for Kenya: vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees that gardeners there commonly grow, native or introduced. Each links to a growing guide with spacing, sun, water, hardiness, toxicity and sources.
Kenya spans more than one climate. Being on this list does not mean a plant suits your own site: check its hardiness and water needs against your local conditions, and avoid plants listed as invasive in your area.
Plan a garden with these plants →
Vegetables (22)
- African cabbage (spider flower vegetable) Gynandropsis gynandra
- African eggplant (garden egg) Solanum aethiopicum
- African nightshade (managu) Solanum scabrum
- Bambara groundnut Vigna subterranea
- Bitter leaf Gymnanthemum amygdalinum
- Bush bean Phaseolus vulgaris
- Cabbage Brassica oleracea var. capitata
- Cassava Manihot esculenta
- Collard greens Brassica oleracea var. viridis
- Enset (false banana) Ensete ventricosum
- Ethiopian kale (gomenzer) Brassica carinata
- Gboma eggplant (African eggplant, igbagba) Solanum macrocarpon
- Kale Brassica oleracea var. sabellica
- Lablab (hyacinth bean, tua paep) Lablab purpureus
- Livingstone potato (Zulu round potato) Coleus esculentus
- Molokhia (jute mallow) Corchorus olitorius
- Onion Allium cepa
- Potato Solanum tuberosum
- Sweet corn Zea mays var. saccharata
- Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas
- Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
- White yam Dioscorea rotundata
Herbs (3)
- African wormwood (wilde-als, umhlonyane) Artemisia afra
- Ashwagandha (winter cherry) Withania somnifera
- Scent leaf (African basil) Ocimum gratissimum
Fruit (14)
- Avocado Persea americana
- Banana Musa x paradisiaca
- Cashew Anacardium occidentale
- Indian jujube (ber, phutsa) Ziziphus mauritiana · invasive in some regions
- Mango (dwarf) Mangifera indica
- Marula Sclerocarya birrea
- Masuku (wild loquat, mahobohobo) Uapaca kirkiana
- Mobola plum (hissing tree, muhacha) Parinari curatellifolia
- Papaya Carica papaya
- Passion fruit Passiflora edulis
- Spiny monkey orange (umhlala) Strychnos spinosa
- Sweet granadilla Passiflora ligularis
- Wild custard apple (African custard apple) Annona senegalensis
- Wild medlar (mmilo, umviyo) Vangueria infausta
Flowers (7)
- African violet Streptocarpus ionanthus
- Agapanthus Agapanthus praecox
- Bougainvillea Bougainvillea glabra
- Flame lily (gloriosa) Gloriosa superba
- Pentas (Egyptian starcluster) Pentas lanceolata
- Tropical hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
- ZZ plant (Zanzibar gem) Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Shrubs (5)
- Corn plant (mass cane, fragrant dracaena) Dracaena fragrans
- Desert rose Adenium obesum
- Pencil tree (firesticks, milk bush) Euphorbia tirucalli
- Pigeon pea Cajanus cajan
- Yellow bells (yellow trumpetbush) Tecoma stans · invasive in some regions
Trees (24)
- African moringa (cabbage tree, shiferaw) Moringa stenopetala
- African redwood (kosso) Hagenia abyssinica
- African tulip tree (Nandi flame) Spathodea campanulata · invasive in some regions
- Apple-ring acacia (winter thorn, ana tree) Faidherbia albida
- Candelabra tree (naboom) Euphorbia ingens
- Cape chestnut Calodendrum capense
- Desert date (soapberry tree, lalob) Balanites aegyptiaca
- Doum palm Hyphaene thebaica
- Fever tree (yellow-barked acacia) Vachellia xanthophloea
- Gliricidia (madre de cacao, mata ratón) Gliricidia sepium
- Gum arabic tree (hashab, kikwata) Senegalia senegal
- Jacaranda Jacaranda mimosifolia · invasive in some regions
- Jackalberry (African ebony, jakkalsbessie) Diospyros mespiliformis
- Neem Azadirachta indica · invasive in some regions
- Nile tulip (markhamia) Markhamia lutea
- Pepper-bark tree (isibhaha) Warburgia salutaris
- Sausage tree (worsboom, muvevha) Kigelia africana
- Siamese cassia (khi lek) Senna siamea
- Silky oak (southern silky oak) Grevillea robusta · invasive in some regions
- Sycamore fig Ficus sycomorus
- Tasmanian blue gum Eucalyptus globulus · invasive in some regions
- Umbrella thorn acacia Vachellia tortilis
- Wild date palm (Senegal date palm) Phoenix reclinata
- Wild pear (drolpeer) Dombeya rotundifolia
Grasses (4)
- Finger millet (ragi) Eleusine coracana
- Pearl millet Cenchrus americanus
- Sorghum Sorghum bicolor
- Teff Eragrostis tef
Groundcovers (2)
- Aloe vera Aloe vera
- Spider plant Chlorophytum comosum
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.