Six months with Mr. Lincoln — what I actually learned

I brought Mr. Lincoln home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding pruning to an outward-facing bud at a 45-degree angle — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down.

I grow it in a cottage garden mixed planting with lavender and the position has been ideal. repeat-flowering over a long season is what keeps drawing me back to it. bare canes in winter showing the plant's architecture was the moment that made me glad I persisted through the learning curve. One honest warning: powdery mildew in humid summers caught me off guard in month two. Stay on top of it from the start.