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A. When a big freeze comes upon us, many gardeners see their plants as their "little babies" and want to throw a big cozy, warm blanket over the whole landscape. This probably isn't too terribly logical or even practical; however, there are things you can do to protect your "little darlins' ".
First of all, it might help a lot to know that we are in Zone 9 according to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Hardiness Zone Map. Well, all that really means is that on the cooler side of things, the minimum temperatures in our area usually do not go below the range between 20º to 30º F or -7º to 1º C. Yes, some parts of this area nose-dived down to 8º F during the 1989-90 winter, but we're not likely to have too many cold snaps of that caliber and in fact we haven't since 1989.
So, what do you do when you hear of a "big freeze" coming? Well, you can always find something to spend your money on at your local nursery or hardware stores but if you're at all like me I much prefer spending my money on plants, flowers, and other gardening supplies. Besides, I hate trying to find some place to store all that stuff - out of the way of course. So don't do it!!!
Here are some things you already have around your house that can be used for just this purpose: paper bags, newspaper, flower pots, bath towels, beach towels, bed sheets, blankets, drop clothes, etc. (use your imagination!!!).
Weigh them down with sticks, rocks or use clothes pins and staplers to hold them in place. This can actually be fun - use your creativity. Caution should be used when using plastic sheeting during prolonged hard freezes as plant leaves touching the plastic may suffer cold injury. However, it can be very beneficial to place plastic underneath blankets, sheets, etc. for large plants. The important thing to remember is to protect your plants from cold air circulation and hopefully you've already protected the plant's roots by mulching in the fall.
O.K.!! O.K.!! So we're all busy and have other things in life to do and you forgot to watch the weather report and you hear about "the freeze" as you are slowly coming out of the shower and listening to the morning news. Ahhhh!! Hair dripping wet, grabbing your bath robe (or whatever), you go running out the door, past your family (who by now are assured that you've totally "lost it") only to find your "little babies", those beautiful "little darlins' " are just fine.
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It's all over, you're too late, you blew it, all that work - gone - or not? Well here's the best or the worst of it. They could have frozen or simply died back which means they may come back stronger and more beautiful that ever.
So, go inside, dry your tears and just give it time. Remember now, for many types of cold-sensitive plants, if you've protected your roots and it wasn't a prolonged freeze, this may provide you with the opportunity to divide your plants, transplant them or you may simply enjoy sharing with others.