I am new to this plant but I absolutely love the look of it and I want to do all I can to keep it healthy. If anyone can offer advice on the following questions it would be greatly appreciated.

1.) I am a total rookie when it comes to these so I would like to know if this plant looks to be in good health? If not do you have any suggestions for turning it around?

2.) Since I've had it I've simply been gently pulling the dead leaves off and leaving them around the root base to give them a chance to propagate. I used used some plant food when I first planted it and will be testing the soil moisture to avoid overwatering going forward. Is this strategy enough or should I know more about proper trimming habits or anything else I'm not mentioning?

3.) I live in Northern California and while it is rare we do have a weekend or two in the winter where the temp gets around 30 degrees. This is planted in a spot that has protection from wind but I am not sure if I should plan on covering these during the winter to avoid cold damage. Thoughts?

Thanks all for any help you can offer.

Pics here:

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx212/Graakk/Plants/IMG_0896.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx212/Graakk/Plants/IMG_0898.jpg

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx212/Graakk/Plants/IMG_0900.jpg