Keeping Potted Flowers Alive

I'm one of those suckers who can't pass through the grocery store without picking up some potted flowers. But they always die and they don't come back. Discounting the times I've forgotten to water them or the times I've over watered them how do you keep them growing? Or more specifically how how do you keep them from dieing.I've got a potted 'mini rose' that looks healthy at the moment, in fact it looks great, but I only bought it yesterday so it darn well better look good.

The other one is a daisy plant with so many blooms I'm amazed there's enough soil to feed them. I dread the day (about a week from now) when they start to look sad and start dropping blossoms.

Please help. I'm a beginner gardener and I don't know anything. Should I plant them?

Doug says

That there's no one size fits all. If you let plants dry out and then soak them repeatedly, you're killing off roots.

Kill off enough roots and you have dead plants. And each plant has specific needs for living. Some like high light levels, some do low. Some like to be kept wet, some like dry. Unless you understand what it is that the plants want, then frankly you're doomed to fail unless (by trial and error) you find a plant that thrives on what you do. (like sansiveria or cactus - plants you can't kill with an axe)

But the biggest thing you have to learn is watering. The two plants you mentioned are very high light level plants if you want them to survive.

And they want to be watered properly. Water thoroughly - the next day touch the soil. If your finger is wet after that, leave them alone. If dry - water again. Only water when your finger is dryish. Never when it is damp.

And try.

Most of us kill a ton of plants before we get it right. I won't even begin to list the numbers and kinds of plants I've killed in 30 years of gardening. But I can guarantee that I've killed more plants than most of you folks. But then again, I've probably tried to grow a ton more plants than most of you too. That's the fun of gardening - figuring it out.

Hint: Try reading about each plant - the names are on the labels. LOL! As my dad used to say, "If in doubt, read the instructions."

Should you plant them outside? I plant almost all my potted plants outside sooner or later. The mini-roses will live over the winter with little care; in fact, they'll do better outside in the full sun than in your house. The daisies will probably perish but they'll give you great blooms all summer.

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