Leave it dry and protected from cold and excess water. Once you see some new growth popping out, you can start watering. You can also trim back but you must INCREASE THE LIGHT. If you trim back and grow in the same conditions, it will continue to look the same at the end of next year. These will take full sun every day in So Cal. I've kept one alive through four Winters (see 'don't water while dormant', above by previous posters). A newly purchased plant bloomed this year and I am officially 'hooked'! I've been watching closely a Cactus & Succulent Guru who trims them down to stumps willy nilly and pots up as bonsai! I recently asked him about cutting my lanky bloomer back and his recommendation was to wait until spring and full growing season. I find with mine after winter dormancy is broken, plenty of water and some fertilizer will pop out those blooms! This adenium is four years old and has never been cut. It is in full sun all year, except for Winter (known as Rainy Season in SoCal) when I move it in and water about three times during it's indoor stay. (Still hasn't bloomed, but I only started working on that this year.) I am getting ready to 'raise' the plant so the fat root (caudex)is exposed, part of the allure to C&S growers for this plant. DISCLAIMER: None of the plants shown in the following are MY plants! They are examples of local-to-my-area C&S enthusiasts and their art. This plant, in 2008 took four men to lift up to the table. This pic was taken in 2006. The proud grower and plant in 2007.

Blackspot requires 2 things to be active: Warmth and moisture. Spores will only germininate when the temperatures warm to about 64 to 75 degree and only if they stay wet for about 6 hours or so. Spores are on the canes as well as the leaves so a thorough spray job should include the canes. This is one of the reasons to have an open center on the bush - to increase air circulation so that any moisture will evaporate quickly, and canes can be sprayed easily. Since the spores can be activated by splashing water on the ground, taking off the lower leaves can help (this is something I do on the really B.S. prone roses and it also helps with spider mites). There is a summer temperature in our hot weather climate where the spores will not germinate. If I see that we are into a drought 85degree + heat cycle (and that means night temps as well) I can usually suspend spraying. However if we have a brief respite and the rains come and I haven't sprayed, the B.S. will crop up like I've been doing nothing at all all year.

There are at least five 'deer off" products easily available in garden centers and nurseries. I alternate them, so the deer don't become accustomed to just one. One had to keep reapplying, but they work pretty well most of the time.

Absolutely do NOT keep them inside over the winter. Plant them now and mulch them well. I make a cylinder of chicken wire to go around my more tender roses and new plants, then mound them with a bit of compost and fill the cage with leaves. Works wonderfully! You don't want to mulch like this until the ground starts chilling down considerably however, as in this weather they will cook. In spring just as it's starting to think about thawing remove the cage but leave the leaves. Remove them layer by layer as thawing occurs and the weather warms so you don't shock your rose. -Marie