I've had countless plants die on me. But I do have a few living right now. It's all a very slow learning process through trial and error. I guess my best advice would be not to fuck around with it too much. Resist the urge to cut it all up and force it to do things it does not want to do. Also, if you can, keep 'em outside. If you have to bring them indoors, don't move them around too often. One more thing, read up on the particular plant you acquire. If you plan to train a juniper- read up on the juniper. This is all just shit I've noticed from my experience. meh.