dave weil wrote:

Speaking of Mr. Lincoln, I was at Lowe's today, picking out a new
hanging pendant for my kitchen to replace the old "granny fixture"
and, what should be by the door but some nice gallon $8.97 roses. And,
lo and behold, one of them was a very nice Mr. Lincoln with two good
sized half-opened buds on it. Because I'm jonesing for some blooms,
I'm going to forgo my own advice and not disbud this plant and just
hope for the best.

Well, that plant is now ensconsed next to my entry porch, very near
Papa Meilland, a transplanted Ingrid Bergman that I hope is going to
take, a pink (I can feel you shiver coldly, Shiva) Belami and a couple
of wildly colored Desert Peaces. It should look nice in mid-season. I
just have to remember that here, Mr. Lincoln is going to need winter
protection as it's a "Zone 7 rose". I know that it grows OK here
though, because I have a friend who has one.

Well, my Belami is just a memory, but I'd have to say that Mr. Lincoln
does not necessarily need winter protection. Mine survived last winter
- OK, it died to the bud union. But my MIL (Douglassville, PA, home of
Kiwi shoe polish) is going gang busters without having had any winter
protection. Mr. Lincoln is one teflon rose.