Back in 1986, Prince Charles caused a consternation. "I just come and talk to the plants, really very important . . . They respond I find," His Royal Highness revealed during a television interview. But floral confabulation is nothing new.
Rewind back to 1848 and the noted German professor Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887). In that year he published Nanna oder Über Das Seelenleben der Pflanzen (Nanna, or About the Soul-life of Plants) popularizing the idea of talking to plants. Written under the pseudonym Dr. Mises, his book went through further editions in his lifetime. Ever-popular, many have followed since, the most recent just last year in 2017. It remains widely available, including from such outlets as Indigo Books & Music.