I am planting Easy Elegance® roses in a large whiskey barrel. Can I leave them outsize all winter in Zone 6-7?

Your whiskey barrel is a great option for an Easy Elegance^® rose and the great news is that it will be fine outside all winter in your area. In fact, our roses are bred for climates colder than yours so even though your rose is more exposed in a container than in the ground it will be fine. Here’s my only caveat: since the walls of the whiskey barrel are only ½ inch thick or so they don’t offer as much insulation as a high-fired, thick-walled ceramic pot would do. So for extra protection, especially if a severe cold snap is forecast, I might be tempted to wrap the sides of the barrel in bubble wrap as an extra safeguard. When next fall rolls around, make sure to watch our video on prepping roses for winter.