Does this happen to you?

ROFL!

That honor detail would be very busy at my house if they were required every time a plant died!

Reminds me of an article in Horticultural Weekly which listed the stages of disorder in a plant as " wilting; permanent wilting; death - or as it's known in the retail trade 'bargain' ".

Oh, gasrocks, I've been there, done that....over and over again. There's things you learn as you do this gardening thing, LOL!! First, you simply tell them, "Oh, THAT ONE! (insert small giggle here) THAT ONE is my latest rescue! You should have seen it when I brought it home if you think it looks bad NOW! I'm resurrecting it! It takes a full year for a plant to recover, you know? A full cycle through each season." (insert BIG smile here)

Then, when they revisit and ask about it later and you MUST admit that it DIED...oh, the shame, the horror...you simply say with a bit of pride in your voice...."Yes, the poor thing didn't make it. I gave it everything it needed, all the attention and proper care....it was just too late for it...there was nothing I could do. (pretend to fight back a tear here...sniff, sniff...then, chin up and continue on with...) Of course, you're not really considered a 'plant geek' in the true gardening world until you've had the same cultivar die on you three times, or at least that's what my Master Gardener friend says! Not just the same species, it MUST be the same cultivar." (blink the lashes and add a coy smile)

Really, a Master Gardener friend told me that. I GUARANTEE your friends and family will just kinda stare at you at first and not know what to say...then pretty soon they'll start asking you how to take care of THEIR plants!!! =) tee, he he!! That's when you get on here or start googling your butt off!

...what really matters is if you're having fun with it. Honey, if you had any idea how many plants I've had die...just in one year!! If I ever seriously figured out the value of what I've lost in plants...and included what I've lost in seeds I've saved myself and cuttings I've taken myself and stuff I've had given to me free (but figured market value for them)...I've probably lost enough money-wise to feed a small country. That's all part of this hobby, just like anything else. When you learn to cook you're gonna burn some stuff. When you learn to drive you put a few scratches in the car (if you're lucky that's ALL you do). You get better as you go...and more than likely you're already better than you think you are =) Just enjoy yourself...and keep on trying those plants that give you trouble, that's how you learn and KNOW you're getting better and growing.

Well said, heathrjoy. Any of us who grow houseplants can identify with your post.

At work, I often have people ask for advice for their ailing plants. I try to tell them it's nearly impossible to diagnose anything without seeing it. When they ask how I have so much information, I tell them I've grown just about everything - and some were a success! But it's all about learning from what you did.