I wouldn't bother going to the trouble of cutting it down -- unless that's the first step in the process of digging it out. If you want to grow a climbing rose, make your choices from either: 1. "Large-Flowered Climbers" -- that is to say roses that are climbers from the git-go -- NOT climbing sports of bush roses (like Cl. Q.E.). The latter as a group are not generous bloomers. 2. Tea-Noisettes (officially Noisettes) -- These babies love to climb, but they are great bloomers, and very fragrant. It's my understanding that they're pretty disease-free in your area. You might take a day trip up to the Brenham area, to visit the Antique Rose Emporium. A wander around their display gardens inspires. And use the HelpMeFind web site to find likely climbing roses. Use the Search, then Advanced-Search function, and look for Large-Flowered Climbers. You can literally spend hours in that digital "Wish Book." Jeri Here is a link that might be useful: Help Me Find Roses

Regular QE is tall and vigorous, making basal shoots, I'd say, 4-6' tall. Both basal and lateral shoots always end in a bloom cluster. By contrast, a climbing rose, once established, can make basal shoots 7-12' long; these don't consistently bloom the first season, depending on the variety. Summer shoots of Cl. QE don't bloom for most people until the following spring. If you have regular QE, you might choose to cut shoots back some after blooming so the next round of flowers will stay within reach.

Dear Al, If you have two beaches, and you ho each beach, and then, liking what you did, you did it again, you could be described as one who rehoboth beaches, couldn't you? Ahhh yes, your Aloe. As you know, Aloe erinacea, native to Namibia, is a winter-grower. In my experience, winter-growing Aloes don't break any growth records, but that could be due to my lack of care. But enough of my faults.... This Aloe, in my experience, almost never offsets, is slow to flower, and it's even rare out here in AloeLand for it to flower. If you have a number of them you could intentionally damage the growing point to see if it will offset, but I'd wait to do that until September or so, when its growing season is beginning. It's a lovely plant you have there, Mr. Aloe Al. Given that you've had it for so long, I would have expected it to flower sooner that 25 years, but what do I know? It probably needs to be sent to San Diego (which, incidentally, is the only place I've seen it flower). Some people call this one Aloe melanacantha v. erinacea, but we're not some people, are we?

LBF it is true that a brug needs to form a "Y" before it will set buds. I think there's an exception to this rule with some varieties, but very few. Branching is not the same as making a Y. You will see unequal leaf bases where a plant has formed a Y. I have some brugs that reach 6+ feet before they will form a Y and others that will bloom while still very small. If grown from a cutting, where it was taken from on the parent plant can determine how soon it will bloom. If it was taken from above a Y it will normally bloom sooner then a cutting taken below the Y. Karyn