South Carolina, United States

Since the little rose like flowers on my begonia turned brown and fell off, and the soil was dry, I gave it 8 oz. of water. A day later, the stems broke off easily when I checked the soil. I removed them from the pot, cleaned off any dead or decaying material, and put the stems in rain water. Jars are in my kitchen window getting morning sun. Was this the right thing to do, should I do something else, or give up?

• 23 Oct, 2010