Why living with and caring for plants is good for you

Carter’s love of plants “snapped” suddenly several years ago, and he “went from 10 plants to 50 or 60 plants in a few months.” He quickly turned his home into an “indoor jungle,” he says with a laugh — a situation his long-suffering wife has now accepted, he adds. Can he describe the feeling that triggered his obsession? “I felt like a kid in a candy store. And having that living thing in your house, makes you focus on daily attention to something you’re committed to right now. There’s something therapeutic in the caring process, that you can use for meditation or escape, and for two hours once a week.”

In a sense, owning plants is like having pets — they bring you joy, but they also need love and attention. “Plants are not a prop,” Carter agrees. “They need light and food. You have to be willing to commit to something live. It’s like if you visit an animal shelter, you don’t bring home every puppy or cat, you bring one dog, not 10. If you get a lot of plants you don’t If you know how to take care of it, you’ll end up very sad, and waste a lot of money.” Plants “make gestures to you, if they don’t have light for example,” Carter points out. And if he had to give one tip for caring for plants? “Follow the light, and it will be easier to become a plant parent.”