The very first time I came across the idea of house-plants was when I was going through a major depressive episode and my father took notice. A few hours later he hands me a USB, saying “watch these”. They were a small interesting collection of gardening videos, where two girls stand in a lovely little garden full of Begonias and ferns. They were propagating mint in water, which I thought was so amazing. Isn’t mint one of the sweetest plants out there? Of course I’d love to propagate it in water.

Upon searching some more related stuff I stumbled into an entire world of plant videos and that was it. That was when I knew this was it; this is what I want to do!

It started with one plant, when I went to the local plant nursery for the first time — which I had never even noticed before — and bought a little Opuntia cactus for my room and a small pot full of fresh green mint. It made me so happy to be able to find plants that I really liked, that I was able to bring them home and take care of them! Only to now have above 90 plants all scattered amiably in my little terrace. Variegated spider plants, purple Tradescantias and the golden pothos ivy hang innocently along the walls of my terrace. I have three different varieties of Sansevierias in my bathroom, and my bed room. Ficuses and Philodendrons, Syngoniums and Hibiscus roses, all of these adorable plants bring ineluctable joy into my day. I have started to bring in more herbs to make a small container herb garden; like tulsi (holy basil), grew coriander, ajwain plants and kadi patta (curry plant) seedlings. Nothing compares to the happiness only plants are able to communicate especially aromatic herbs.

The idea of plants is comforting; it has become a way of my healing. To put energy into them and watch these lovely foliage lives grow and bloom in plummy iridescent shades, in myriads of shapes and sizes. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing something you put love into transmute into a much prettier, much bigger and a much healthier version of itself. The same applies to plant life. It is so ameliorating, so placid to come home and you get to sit a while in recluse with a warm cup of tea and a shimmery-leaf Begonia, or a Dracena with the prettiest shades of yellow and green and you feel the sweetness of it all fill your insides because there is the presence of a tranquil life besides you, so calm and so collected.

House-plants are not only the source of generating sui generis placidity in any living space they are brought into, they provide love, warmth and protection because they want you to care for them. Every house-plant is different, with its own needs. They don’t only need watering and pruning time to time but they need your affection. Plants respond to the energy you put into them, and even a little goes a long way. Every morning I wake up and I try to make sure I check up on all my plants, ask them if they are doing okay. And the way plants respond to you, as I have learned through caring for them all these months, is through their leaves. When your plant is healthy, its leaves would be gleaming, but when your plant is under stress you will notice if it is struggling to be okay. When brought into a new environment, or when it has fallen sick or if it needs watering, have a close look at the leaves. They will seem sad, less shiny and less lively. Two of my very dramatic plants are the gold-dust croton and the pink Irsene Herbstii, when thirsty their leaves would bend downwards as if the plant has died. But just a few minutes after a drink of water their leaves perk up again as if nothing had happened! They’re very clever like that.

“Plants communicate in very different ways and when they are stressed they communicate in a different way than we do. Plants communicate usually by their chemistry”, said Summer Rayne Oakes, the owner of almost 700 plants in her little apartment, in one of her plant care videos. When a plant isn’t happy, it will emanate certain chemicals from its leaves which will attract pests. If it is getting too much light, the leaves will fade into yellow indicating chlorosis. It is so fascinating to find out how plants actively respond to any condition that they find unsuitable.

Learning about house-plants, the way to care for them, seeing how they have an aura of the sweetest consolation one wants, was the most amazing thing to happen to me last year. And if you want to make your plant happy, you just have to be careful about its needs. Succulents prefer dry conditions; they need less frequent watering and more intense sunlight. Ferns like to be in a place with low light, more frequent watering and a lot of humidity.

Plants purify the atmosphere and form a little apothecary with air crisp with oxygen. What else would one want, especially at a time like this when the pernicious effects of climate change are here staring at us inevitably? Even when everything around us seems chaotic, a little gang of foliage friends will always be there, to make everything okay.

I wanted to compile a little list of house-plants that purify the air, are easy to care for and bring a lot of good energy with them. I hope it inspires any one to go out and get a little plant for themselves, and find to love it very much! All of these plants are air purifiers and love to be indoors as much as outdoors.

· Sansevieria trifasciata: The Sansevieria or the snake plant is the hardiest plant there is, able to thrive in low light conditions. You can forget to water it and it will still be there for you ever so patient. Snake plants are perfect plants for anyone who is a new plant parent. It cleans the air and is a wonderful little indoor plant.

· The Golden Pothos: The Epipremnum aureum or more commonly called money plant is referred to as the “devils ivy” because it is impossible to kill. The golden pothos can grow in water or soil. It does not require a lot of sunlight but watering it frequently makes it healthier. Give it indirect light and water whenever the upper part of its soil looks dried out.

· Rubber Tree: The Ficus elastica or the rubber tree is one of my favorite foliage plants ever. It loves bright indirect light, plenty of space to grow into and a lot of water. Even when it needs a little bit of attention and care, there is so much happiness in watching a new rubber tree leaf unfurl from its little rosy cocoon.

· Spider plant: the Chlorophytum comosum is one of the easiest house plants in wonderful variegations and leafy long foliage. It loves low light spaces and less frequent watering doesn’t bother it much either.

· Aloe Vera: Being a little succulent, aloe is a plant that heals. It loves indirect bright light and water whenever it looks a little dry.

· Chinese evergreen: The Aglaonema, being an aroid like the money plant, loves low light and will not hate you if you under or over water it. It will stay happy as long as you are there for it at the end of the day.