Question
A friend from work received an 8" potted Gerber Daisy plant as a gift. After a few weeks in the office, the blooms are gone and part of the leaves have died off. After a combination of underwatering & then probably overwatering (pot was put in a saucer of water) the plant needs help! I brought it home to see if I could salvage it. Any suggestions? I was thinking of cutting back the dead leaves & repotting it--and maybe putting the pot outside during the day while the weather is still warm  (Sept in Zone 6) Will this thing bloom again?  

Answer
Hi Cindy,
Gerber daisies are perennial in zones 8 and above.  They will not overwinter outdoors in zone 6.  You can treat it as a houseplant and yes, it may bloom again before the onset of winter.  Bear in mind that the plant is native to subtropical areas and requires more sunlight than we have in most of the U.S. and Canada during the winter.  I would remove the dead leaves, pot it in a larger pot, water it each time the top of the soil becomes dry but make sure that the pot drains well and no water is allowed to stand for more than a day or two.  You can put it outdoors next season after the last frost and it should do fine.  Remember to keep it in a sunny window during the window.  No feeding until next spring.  I hope this helps.
Tom