Campanula -- I think the defoliating is a Florida/California thing. Since we don't really have winter, the plants tend to keep virtually all of their leaves from last season. I like to remove them to tell the plant spring is coming, as well as to dramatically reduce the number of black spot spores in the garden. It is indeed labor-intensive, but if we can do it, we like to. Pillars are an interesting way to grow a columnar rose. It works especially well with roses like 'Don Juan' that tend to make a few very stiffly upright canes that resist bending. And yes, if you don't trim such a rose properly, you get a bunch of flowers on the top. It is through the creation of many cut stems all along the length of the pillar that we get even bloom throughout the height. I'm trying to think where, near Cambridge, you could have a good look at some pillars. I'm fairly sure I've seen some at Peter Beales' Nursery. Don't recall seeing any at Mannington Hall. I'll put a link here to a 'Don Juan' in the FSC garden -- I'm a bit hesitant to do that, because it was not at that point ideally trained to the pillar, so it's not a great example. Still, you can get an idea from it. Malcolm

Hello chasermartin, I'm no expert on dormant plants and all the technical plant rules, but I do have quiete a few Pachy's. I didn't think they would go dormant, but I guess they do. My pachy's are left in the sun all the time and putting out new growth at a rate of about 1-1 1/2" a month(they are still babies except for three of them.) The nursery were I bought them from had them in shade and the leaves looked pretty bad and minimal growth. As soon as I brouth them to my home, within a few days they rebounded with new leaves and growth( was a lot of new growth within the first week.) What I'm trying to get to you is that a lot of sun even HOT!!! sun has done my pachy's good. Only thing I worry about is when it rains then clears up and sun hits my pachy's. Now that's damage!!!! Hope this helps, also I water mine almost every day or when dirt is dry. Thanks, Abel....good luck

You may find more info on this succulent on the 'cacti & succulent' forum. There's a little info on http://www.mgonlinestore.com/DesertRose. (copy and paste into the address box). I'm not real computer savvy but I happened by chance tried that and it worked, click back so you can come back here.

I have my desert rose in a clay pot.. I do not water it until it is dry about an inch down. And cut back on water in winter. It is in a south window and gets lots of light in the winter. It goes out on my covered front facing south after all chance of frost is over. It loses some leaves in winter. I have had it for three or four years. I took a cutting alert it dry out on the end put in spot of regular miracle grow potting soil and it has started putting on leaves.. I would love to try planting from seeds.. My cutting even got water logged and started to turn mushy on the end and I cut it off jammed it back in soil and it started leafing out again. I think over watering is what kills most cactus roses.. I also fertilize with mirical grow and alter with blooms fertilizer in summer.