For the first year (or two), prune very lightly. Clip off dead wood when it occurs. Cut the blooms at the juncture of the first or second five-leaflet leaf next to the bloom.

After it's established in a couple of years (one year if you really feed it and have excellent growing conditions), you can safely harvest a bloom at the 2nd or 3rd (I'm prudent) five-leaflet leaf from the bottom of the bloom's cane. ML will put out glorious single blooms on 3 ft stems. Cut them as soon as you see the sepals turn down. The blooms will dependably open in the vase. They tend to pop open very fast, otherwise.

Thank you, rosetom! I've heard that Rose Tone and Garden Ville Sea Tea are great for roses...any advice or recommendations?

is mr lincoln rose blackspot resistant?

It depends on your area, but in blackspot prone areas, it is not resistant and will defoliate.

Mr.Lincoln likes to get very tall and lanky. Depending on how you want to keep the bush, after a bloom (or when you cut one if his beautiful and fragrant buds to bring inside), remember that where ever you cut, he will usually put up 3 feet on top of that. My Mr. Lincoln is always blooming way over my head.

I have been trying to figure out one unknown red climber.

It finally dawned on me, we had Mr Lincoln with some really really long canes from years of wacking off offending canes as they reached out to catch you as you passed by. Ours is on the side of the garage and is putting out incredible flowers all over from random growth.

I could probably win a prize for worst pruned Mr Lincoln