Happily, I live in an apartment, so I don't feel particularly guilty about buying my plants pre-killed. I suppose I could try balcony gardening (I'm not that far north of you, and get great sunlight -- much as I hate Los Angeles, the constant sunlight is nice, although I can't actually tell the difference between the weather now & the weather in March -- which is probably why I keep thinking it's still March). I am highly skeptical about my ability to remember to water plants, though. Or, in fact, remembering they exist at all.