Let me preface this article by saying that I am NOW a very good gardener. To say that I have had a few plant trials and tribulations throughout my gardening career would be an understatement, but they have made me the competent horticulturist that I am today. So, if you want to join the “green thumb club,” you must be ready to experience the same.

The conversation usually starts out something like, “My plant is dying. Will you look at it?” And I say, “Sure...oh, it’s not dying. It’s dead.” Now, rather than that be the end of it, let's create a teachable moment out of this. What can we learn from this tragedy? Some questions to ask:

1. Did it happen slowly or quickly?

2. If slowly, what signs did it exhibit throughout its decline?

3. Were the leaves wilted, discolored, both?

4. How much light did it receive?

5. Did the soil stay kind of wet or kind of dry?

There are many more questions, but these can help us assess what may have happened.

If I haven’t had a plant decline or perish the same way you have before, I can give you my best educated and experienced guess or we can ask a different gardener or we can ask an internet search engine. Trial and error, lots of interest, and lots of questions are my advice when it comes to successful plant care and maintenance. Afterall, this is exactly the way I, and many gardeners, blazed that trail towards green fingered glory ourselves.

So, if you’re ready to try, try, and try again until everyone thinks you were born with a green thumb, then I must advise you go out and kill some plants. Happy gardening!