Toni,
It does or can get VERY cold in the desert in December/January. It's not too unusual to have a "hard freeze". The wind, dryness and cold can really do a number on a garden. I think it was 2006 we had a three-day hard freeze. It was very bad all over the Valley and even in California. Folks lost lots of trees and plants. I think we've had a day or two of hard freeze during winter months since then. Birdbath freezes like a skating rink. It's one thing to struggle through the summers but the winter can be tough, too.
