The WFMY News 2 Weather Team is predicting cold rain and possibly a quick burst of snow on Tuesday in the Triad.
The big concern is the cold air.
When temperatures drop low, garden experts say, it can seriously damage or kill plants.
But, the good news is, there are a few simple steps you can take to protect your plants from the cold weather.
One of the easiest things you can do to protect sensitive plants from the cold weather is moving the plants inside the garage or house.
If you can't move the plants, garden experts say, you might want to consider covering the plants to help keep them alive.
If you don't cover your plants at night, you should water the plants the next morning.
Here are a few additional tips to protect plants from freezing temperatures:
- Use frost blankets: Frost blankets, widely available at garden centers and home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, are used to protect delicate foliage from frost. If you can't find a frost blanket, a bed sheet or piece of burlap will do the trick. You go out and cover the foliage with this material at night, and take it off in the morning. It doesn't look pretty, but it keeps your plants protected when the temperatures dip at night.
- Hang lights to keep foliage warm: It's officially the holiday season. You might want to consider hanging holiday lights on your trees and bushes. The heat emitted from the bulbs can actually keep the leaves and branches warm. And if you have those old, giant bulbs lying around, hang them up! The bigger the bulb, the more heat it will let off, and the more effective it will be. The newer LED lights, however, won't do much at all.
- Water plants and trees: The roots are still active in the winter and need water to survive, so don't neglect them. You want to keep the soil moist and feed the roots. You do not want to water the foliage. You're going to freeze the foliage and it will die.
- Spread mulch to insulate roots: In addition to watering, it's a good idea to spread mulch on the ground around the roots. Spreading mulch is like putting a comforter around the roots -- it insulates the soil and warms it during the winter months. Mulch retains soil heat and keeps it from escaping, which in turn protects root systems. Besides, it's a great idea to spread new mulch once a year, so the winter is a good time to do that. Light mulch will reflect the heat, dark mulch will absorb it.
- Pruning shears: You see these? Put them away! Do not prune any of the foliage -- dead, alive or damaged -- on your shrubs or trees. Dead leaves and branches can like mulch help to shelter the roots from the harsh winter conditions. The more plants you have around, the more they will protect each other. All the dead leaves and such on the ground will create microclimates, which add yet another layer of protection from the harsh weather.