Question
This is my first year of gardening , and I must admit, I am quite pleased with my out come. I live outside Knoxville, Tennessee.It is now the first part of November and both my Alstroemerias and climbing roses are still flowering. Do I have to cut them back? I read that the Alstroemerias should be cut to the ground level and covered with mulch. If so, must I do it now while they are still blooming? What about my climbing roses? Just tie them up, to protect them from the winter winds? I really need some help. I love my plants and do not want to see them die over the winter. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Answer
Hi Heidi,
Thanx for your question.  You can wait for your first frost to kill back the alstroemeria and then cut the dead foliage off and mulch the plant.  The climing roses should be fine for the winter.  You can prune away any dead branches or just perform some general tidying up now if you like.  I hope this helps.
Tom