The 4 reasons your house plants keep dying!

Tell me if this familiar: You bring a new plant home from the nursery, with hopeful visions of your future together. You think, “This time, things will be different.” You find the perfect spot for it and even give your plant a name. A few weeks pass and ‘Diana Moss’ seems to be doing well — you’ve remembered to water her and the leaves are full, with a bright green hue. But then you get busy at work, you go away for the weekend, life gets in the way— and when you come home, your once-thriving green friend has lost all of its lustre. Leaves start dropping — or worse — turning brown. Another one bites the dust.

For well-intentioned plant parents, figuring out what your indoor garden needs can feel more cryptic than deciphering a text message from a flaky crush. But the good news: Plants are actually very easy to keep alive — so long as you keep these four simple principles in mind.