You should hear what this plant has to say about you 

And, yes, of course it can talk, says healer Juliet Diaz, who’s been asking her houseplants for advice all her life. She tells Hanna Woodside why chatting to plants can be better than therapy 

Juliet Diaz can talk to plants. A cactus once warned her off a man during a date – ‘It told me I had better things to do than listen to him talk about his ex,’ she reveals.

A cat’s claw is on hand for pep talks: ‘It loves to tell me tales of reaching for the stars – “Grow my dear, grow!” it says.’ And a particularly chatty swiss cheese plant has to be shushed when Juliet’s too busy. ‘She nags me for attention almost like a little sister. My family often hears me yell, “Not now, please!”’

In the same way you might catch up with a neighbour or workmate, Juliet says she can literally hear her plants talk – and of course, she replies. ‘I speak to them like my friends,’ says Juliet, 39, a mother of two from…