Protecting Your Plants from the Cold

Winter weather in Florida is unpredictable. While warmer than other parts of the country, freezes will come upon the state. Keep an eye on the weather so you can protect your plants. Maintaining their health, avoiding fertilzer and mulching will all help in light freezes. During a hard freeze, it can help to cover a plant completely (from the top, all the way to the ground) with fabric, such as a sheet.

UF/IFAS Sites

• Cold Weather Can Threaten Landscape Plantings
• FAWN: Cold Protection
• Protecting Ornamental Plants from the Cold

UF/IFAS Publications

• Bundle Up Your Plants for Winter (PDF)
• Cold Protection of Ornamental Plants
• It's Time to Protect Tropicals from the Cold (PDF)
• Many Plants Can Handle Slow Cooling (PDF)
• Preparing Your Plants for Cold Weather (PDF)
• Protecting Plants from Freeze Damage (PDF)
• Right and Wrong Ways to Protect Your Plants from the Cold (PDF)

Also on Gardening in a Minute

• Cold Protection Myths
• Dealing with Late Freezes
• Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
• Protecting Citrus from Cold
• Treating Cold-Damaged Plants

Other Sites

• Cold Damage--Clemson (SC) Cooperative Extension
• Cold Protection in the Landscape--Louisiana State University AgCenter
• Cold Snaps Landscapes--University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Commonly Grown Plants and Their Cold-Tolerance Temperatures--Louisiana State University AgCenter (PDF)
• Protect Plants from Cold Weather--University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
• Winter Protection of Ornamental Plants--University of Georgia Cooperative Extension