A woman who has saved more than 200 abandoned houseplants from the trash shares her tips for bringing your plants back to life

A few years ago, Sarah Gerrard-Jones was in a DIY shop — a cross between a craft store and a hardware store. The shop was throwing away orchids, which broke Gerrard-Jones' heart.

"I thought it was sad that they were being binned because they stopped flowering," she said.

So she volunteered to bring the flowers home. Within a few months, almost all of them were flowering again. That's when Gerrard-Jones, now 46, officially became The Plant Rescuer.

After she started an Instagram detailing her plant transformations, she began getting questions about plant care. The inquiries reached a crescendo during the pandemic, so Gerrard-Jones wrote a book: "The Plant Rescuer: The Book Your Houseplants Want You to Read."

Most people, she said, make the same mistakes with houseplants. Here are her tips for avoiding those pitfalls and keeping your houseplants happy, healthy, and thriving.

"Most problems come from a misunderstanding of how much light a plant requires," Gerrard-Jones said. "If you have pests, drooping, or a plant that's looking unhappy, it's usually because of a lack of light."

Common Instagram-worthy design tips, such as using a plant to brighten up a bookshelf or bathroom, often spell disaster for the plants.

Instead of being tucked away, plants need to be placed as close as possible to a window. When you're troubleshooting with your plant, start by moving it as close as possible to a brightly lit window. Don't worry about it being too bright.

"There's a misunderstanding of what a bright spot is," Gerrard-Jones said. "It may be bright, but not bright enough for a plant to photosynthesize."

Another common mistake people make is giving their plants too much water.

Unfortunately, there's no blanket statement for how often plants need watering. It depends on what type they are and where they're positioned. Hard and fast rules such as watering your plants every Saturday can doom them.

Instead, Gerrard-Jones recommended this trick: Stick your finger into the soil your plant is in. If you can feel any moisture, it doesn't need water. Only water it when the soil feels dry to the touch.

Young plants are nurtured in bright, climate-controlled greenhouses. Moving from that environment to your home can be jarring and cause a plant to die, Gerrard-Jones said. That's why she recommended that people buy older, established plants off secondhand sites when possible.

"Young plants get stressed," she said. "A more mature plant, it's got coping mechanisms already in place."

A heartier plant means more of a likelihood of a long, healthy life.

People often walk into a shop and pick a plant they're attracted to without considering the plant's biological needs, Gerrard-Jones said. A cactus isn't going to thrive in your moist bathroom the same way the bird-of-paradise that Gerrard-Jones has been eyeing won't thrive in her cool, dark UK home — even with her expertise.

Don't think that you can outsmart a plant that isn't meant for the type of environment you can provide.

"You might just end up disappointed when that plant doesn't like your home environment," Gerrard-Jones said. "Think about what they need, not just what you want."

When plants start to look unwell, people panic, Gerrard-Jones said. We research quick fixes and make changes all at once, which stresses the plant.

Instead, make one change at a time. Then become a hands-off plant owner for at least a month.

"Do one thing, leave it for a month, then try something else," she said. "We fuss way too much."