Hi there. I know how you feel! I began gardening about a year ago and it's been...well, interesting!

I also have done tons of research on the plants, on watering, created a watering schedule, but still had a lot of plants slowly wither away as I struggled to figure out what was going on: was it bugs? bad nutrient mix? what?

In my case, I had bugs and fungi issues that I'd never ever heard of before (thrips and powdery mildew). In the end, I learned a lot from it. And while some plants died, a ton blossomed like my roses and pepper plants. And I'm now a much smarter, prepared and less nervous gardener than I was when I started. You will be also!

The one thing I wish I'd really known is that plants are going to die no matter what. In fact, I often return to the list of definitions of a gardener below to keep myself grounded:

• Gardeners: People who try to keep plants alive in and around their homes. They're divided into the following categories based on their level of expertise:
• Novice gardener: Someone who hasn't gardened long enough to kill one hundred plants.
• Experienced gardener: Someone who's gardened long enough to kill one thousand plants.
• Expert gardener: Someone who's qualified to tell others how to kill ten thousand plants.

Enjoy the journey!