Question
I live in northeast Indiana. What do I need to do with knock out roses in preparation for the winter months? The roses were just planted this summer and they are in an elevated flowerbed that is about 8in off the ground. Is this going to be a problem because they are higher then the actual soil level?

Answer
Raised beds are usually about 4' to 6' colder than a flat bed.  Because Knock Out roses are hardy, I wouldn't worry about your raised bed. However it is a good idea to protect them for the winter. Wait until you have had a couple of really hard frosts and then the rose will have hardened off it's canes.  Putting on a mulch before then will cause a greenhouse effect and warm the roots up, which is not what you want. A 4 to 6 inch mulch should keep the roses well protected. In your area if you are concerned about roses, just make sure you don't fertilize after the end of August and then the rose will not have newer canes which will be killed during the winter. Roses will naturally protect themselves when the weather starts to get colder and once they have drawn down the nutrients into the roots and the canes have hardened off and are not soft, they will survive a winter very well.