Three years ago, I rescued a sad looking plant from a neighbor’s kitchen window sill. It had been a bright red gerbera daisy, blooming and filling her kitchen with color. But after a few weeks of inattention, the plant began to wither and droop. The soil in the pot got dry and crusty, resisting the water that my friend poured on it, in hopes of reviving it. Eventually, she just gave up and the little plant languished, almost dead. Being the hopeful gardener that I am, I attempted a rescue. First, I removed the plant from its pot, soaked it in a bucket of water for a few hours to allow the water to thoroughly saturate the soil, spread the pot-bound roots a bit, pruned back the dead and dying leaves, and then planted it in my terrace garden. The soil there was rich and moist, full of good compost. The spot was sunny but somewhat protected from the wind. It enjoyed the advantage in the wintertime of a microclimate created by the dryer vent which blew gentle zephyrs to warm the air near my little gerbera daisy. With all this attention, my rescued plant flourished. I was even rewarded that winter, much to my surprise, by the most cheerful, brightly blooming red daisy you have ever seen…in December! The plant was happy. Its atmosphere was conducive to growth. Yes, the daisy endured the occasional covering of snow and the intense heat of summer. But I watered it when necessary, added compost once a season, picked off the dead flowers, and cared for it.