Mason Mathews has been into plants since he could walk. “I spent a lot of time learning,” the Lumberton senior says. “I’d always watch and do everything. I remember asking what every single plant was called. I would walk around with my grandma’s hand, barely walking, and I would ask, ‘What is this? What is this?’” It soon became much more than just a hobby — it’s also “green therapy.” “I’m an anxious person,” Mason says. “It’s really helped, being able to stimulate my brain every day. It feels so great to care for something that its life depends on you, and you get the reward of seeing it grow.” The Lamar advertising major has his own plant room. “I’m almost to 100 plants — I have 87,” he says. Mason’s hobby isn’t just therapy, he says the health benefits are great, too. “I promise, you can walk into a room and you can feel a difference in the oxygen levels,” he says. “It’s so crisp, so clean. The plants really do create a positive, energetic, uplifting environment where I can really get work done and just prosper.” Everyone should own plants, Mason says. “You should not be afraid of houseplants,” he says. “They speak to you. There’s a plant for everybody.”