We are expecting several days of rain and low temps in the teens to single digits here in NW GA! 😲🥶😟

Neither we, nor our plants, are accustomed to such extremely low temps. Our average winter temps are in the 40's with an occasional dip in the 20's. I need direction on how to protect the following plants:

Green Giant Thuja - we planted this youngster which is maybe 12" tall now, this past spring and I'm very concerned about it surviving this crazy frigid weather. How should I protect it?

Hydrangea - one has been in the ground for over five years and is not very big. During summer, it fills out to not quite the size of a beach ball.

The other one is in a large half-faux-whiskey-barrel pot and is about 3 years young. I'm planning to have this one moved into the garage. Will that be enough?

Azaleas - three young ones that were planted last year, and one that was planted three years ago.

Romaine - in a raised bed that is 2' up off the ground and that I currently have thick, doubled frost cloth over with a heat lamp but using a 40 watt bulb. (Pic of raised beds included, but they had plastic over them in these pics due to two weeks of almost non-stop rain. Tried to protect them from drowning!)

Kale, Onion, Broccoli - Also in a 2' off-the-ground raised bed.

Blueberry plants - these were in the ground for a while then dug up and put into pots to move them to a sunny location. They are in the picture between the two raised beds. Do I need to put protection around the pots so the roots don't freeze? If so, what would I use? They're very heavy and I don't think we can move them easily into the garage.

Roses - been in the ground for years but have always struggled. I'm concerned this weather will be their demise.

Lenten Roses - These guys seem to be doing fine. Do they need protection?

Help!!! 😕😣

These are my main concerns. I've also got several potted plants that will be moved into the garage, but I'm still concerned about them because the garage is not heated and it's supposed to go down from 45°F and raining on Friday to a low of 12°!! Then Saturday, they are forecasting cloudy all day with a high of 27° and a low of 9°!!! 🥶 Then Sunday, sunny with a high of 30° and low of 13°! 😭

I greatly appreciate any advice. I don't want to lose my babies. Thank you!

Look up the minimum temperature (not hardiness zone) for each plant For instance, I Googled "minimum temperature for thuja green giant" and found it is hardy to -20F. The only plants I foresee difficulties with is Romaine lettuce unless your Azaleas are florist azalea but they won't survive the winter here and you are a zone colder.

Plants in containers are more of a problem because the ground is better insulated then a pot. You could wrap the pots of more sensitive plants. Old fashioned Christmas tree lights (the ones that produce heat) are great for keeping pots and plants warm. Make sure the soil is wet as wet roots withstand cold better than dry roots. You could also trying misting the canopies as the temperature drops below freezing to coat the branches in frost.

Lucy68 said: Look up the minimum temperature (not hardiness zone) for each plant For instance, I Googled "minimum temperature for thuja green giant" and found it is hardy to -20F.

Before I posted, I was looking up online the low temperature tolerance for plants, and trying to figure out how to protect them all and I just got overwhelmed with all the different types of plants I have.

Lucy68 said:The only plants I foresee difficulties with is Romaine lettuce

I was afraid of that. I figure I'll probably harvest all the Romaine so I don't end up losing it all to frost. 😕

Lucy68 said:unless your Azaleas are florist azalea but they won't survive the winter here and you are a zone colder.

I bought the Azaleas from a grower here but I don't know what type the are. I guess I'll wrap them in frost covers and hope for the best.

Lucy68 said:Plants in containers are more of a problem because the ground is better insulated then a pot. You could wrap the pots of more sensitive plants. Old fashioned Christmas tree lights (the ones that produce heat) are great for keeping pots and plants warm.

I'm going to try to bring all the potted plants into the garage or shed. The raised beds, though, are a concern.

Lucy68 said: Make sure the soil is wet as wet roots withstand cold better than dry roots.

Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. We're expecting 95% chance of rain on Tuesday, 81% on Thursday, and 96% on Friday! 😏

Lucy68 said:You could also trying misting the canopies as the temperature drops below freezing to coat the branches in frost.

for all this advice. I GREATLY appreciate it! Now I have my work cut out for me... in addition to Christmas preparations! 🤦🏼

Thanks again, and have a very Merry Christmas! 🎄

We're expecting January cold... Way too early!
We may lose our winter veggies.
The only thing I know for the lettuce and kale, broccoli... Have more seed... Re plant in February when temps moderate.

I lose my winter vegetable garden about 1 year in 3 or 4... Still worth it.

I don't recall winter kill on the other plants mentioned... Although... when roses have been cut too late... or too early, there may be a few inches of stem burned further back...

How sheltered are the azaleas?
Down this way... they're plenty sheltered by the trees.

All that stuff in containers above ground?
Could be a problem... Containers are very hard to garden in... all that cold air all the way around the root ball means the roots get frozen all the way through. If that stuff was in the ground... Probably less than an inch of soil would freeze... and... with enough mulch? less than that.