Help! Frost is coming!

PlantNurse15

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Hey all,

I have frost on the forecast at my place and I am wondering what I can do to save my flowers. They are blooming so well right now and I don't want to lose them! Any suggestions are welcome!

Thank you!
 

Ridgerunner

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Which flowers? How are they set up? You know how much we love photos.

I got a bunch of flat sheets at a thrift store at pretty good prices. I use those over things I want to protect against frost, use rocks or bricks to keep the wind form blowing them away. Do not use anything plastic to cover them, plastic doesn't protect very well, but cloth works.
 

digitS'

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You might not be able to protect them.

Flower tissue may not be very critical to plant survival like stem tissue is. However, flowers must be the most tender and vulnerable to frost. Because we want them as ornamentals and to be seen, flowers are often at the top, up in the open air. Doubles the vulnerability to frost!

With some luck, some warmer weather, and maybe a little pruning -- new flowers may bloom on the plants in just a few days.

Steve
 
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PlantNurse15

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French marigolds
violets
and a couple I got from a neighbor(they couldn't tell me the name)

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digitS'

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Red one and the purple beside your steps really look like dahlias.

They are very vulnerable to frost, vertical and exposed.

You could try teepees with fabric around them. Good Luck!

Steve
 

Carol Dee

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The marigolds and Autumn joy sedum are pretty hardy until a HARD frost. I have some bed sheets from the DAV store (under $2 ea.) toss those over before dark and remove in the a.m.
 

ducks4you

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http://marinmg.ucanr.edu/Marin_Master_Gardener_Help_Desk/Leaflet/How_to_protect_plants_from_frost/

https://dengarden.com/gardening/Protecting-Plants-from-Spring-Frosts

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/row-covers/5111.html

https://todayshomeowner.com/how-to-protect-your-garden-from-frost-and-freeze/2/

"Cold hardy vegetables like peas, lettuce, spinach and other salad greens, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts, are frost resistant plants and won’t be harmed by a light frost (in fact, many of these vegetables taste better after being touched by frost)."
https://getbusygardening.com/protecting-garden-plants-from-frost/
 
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YourRabbitGirl

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Hey all,

I have frost on the forecast at my place and I am wondering what I can do to save my flowers. They are blooming so well right now and I don't want to lose them! Any suggestions are welcome!

Thank you!
Bedsheets, drop cloths, blankets and plastic sheets make suitable covers for vulnerable plants. Use stakes to keep material, especially plastic, from touching foliage. Remove the coverings when temperatures rise the next day. For a short cold period, low plantings can be covered with mulch, such as straw or leaf mould. good luck. frost is a natural phenomenon, good thing we don't normally experience it here (Philippines)
 

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