Green Thumb Anyone?

We had our house-warming party two days ago. It was so much fun! Many people showed up and we had a great time of fellowship. Several guests brought us some gifts. Included among them were some violas (the flower, not the musical instrument :), two rose bushes, three grape plants, and another potted plant (I can't remember the name of it)

I absolutley love the thought of having these plants in our yard. In fact, as soon as we decided on which house to buy, I was already thinking about putting plants of some kind in the yard. The problem is...I tend to kill plants.

Josh bought me two potted plants early in our marriage. I didn't water them enough, they died. Then when we moved to Georgia, he bought me another potted plant. This time I was determined not to kill it. So, I watered it about 2-3 times a week. Guess I wasn't supposed to do that either, it died.

So, while I am so grateful to the guests who brought us these plants, and while I am so happy to have them and try to grow them...I am afraid I will be labeled the "serial plant killer" by the end of a month or two at the most.

Who knows, maybe these ones will survive me. I can just picture a beautiful yard with roses and a flourishing grape vine (maybe I can learn how to make wine?), and a house lined with beautiful little violas. I think the other potted plant would look nice just outside the front doorway.

So, does anyone know how to do this??? I looked online this morning, but if anyone can walk me step-by-step through it, they might just be saving the life of a poor defenseless little grape.