Every house plant you've ever bought or been given dies. You're convinced you have a brown thumb. You've about given up on having that lush, green living room you've seen in all those decorating magazines.

Now's the time to stop crying over the death of your Spider Plant and know that yes, even you, can have healthy house plants.

There are three common things that most dead house plants fell victim to, and the sooner you recognize which one (or ones) you are guilty of, the sooner your life will be full of green.

1. Murder by Over-Watering- This is the number one way plant homicide occurs. In your attempt to be a good plant parent, you kill your plants with kindness. Human/plant psychology boils down to a lot of folks as "watering equals love." What they fail to realize is that in the natural habitat of that plant, regular watering may not always be available. It is very important when you get a new plant to do a little research into exactly how much and how often that plant likes to be watered.
2. Murder by Starvation- Most home gardeners are ever diligent about fertilizing their lawn, but completely forget to feed their little flower friends indoors. A plant that stays in the same pot all the time, doesn't get the nutrient advantages of those growing wild or in the garden. It's important to be consistent in feeding your indoor plants to achieve the most lush and healthy growth. The best way to feed indoor plants,without the fear of forgetting or over-feeding, is with a time-released fertilizer,such as Osmocote. Just a sprinkle of these tiny pellets will fertilize your plant for up to three months. So sprinkle and "fuget aboud it"...
3. Murder by Light Deprivation - Those beautiful green, leafy house plants you covet at the garden center or grocery store are tropical in nature. These same plants are natives to the sunniest of spots in the world. So what's the first thing you do when you take one home? You put the plant in a place you think will enhance your decor instead of where it needs to be to survive. Once again, a little research is called for. Find out what kind and how much light your plant needs. A sunny exposure means finding a spot that gets sun for most of the day, such as a south-facing kitchen window. A partly sunny exposure means that corner of the den that gets sun only in the morning or afternoon, may be sufficient. Before you put your sun-lover in the dark and expect it to live, put the name of the plant into your favorite search engine.

Think of your past plant debacles as crimes of passion, your passion for plants. Now that you know the three sure-fire ways of killing even the toughest house plant, you can set yourself free to try again.