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Cold Snap Threatens May Flowers

By Amanda Raus

| Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 | Updated 2:02 PM EDT

Better cover your tulips! There's a freeze warning in effect for early Tuesday morning.

The sun was out and shining Monday, but as it went down so did temperatures. A thermometer in Southington recorded 44 degrees by 8:30 p.m. It's supposed to drop even more with lows overnight as low as 28 degrees.

"It was really nice, and it raised our expectations, and now it's gone cold again," said Chris Payne of Bristol.

"It's a bit much. You know we got real used to the nice warm weather, and yesterday, we went to mow the grass, and I thought, should we be mowing the grass? It was so cold it just felt really strange," said Deanna Corarito of Southington.

With the cold comes an overnight freeze warning that could be bad news for vegetation. At Agway of Southington, they've prepared for the worst by covering outdoor plants and keeping the potted plants in the greenhouse.

"Anything that's potted like in a container, you can bring those inside, like inside a garage, the basement, an enclosed porch," said Ruth Kosswig, an assistant manager at Agway of Southington.

For plants you can't just move inside, Kosswig suggests using a frost cloth, or at least a blanket, to protect them from the cold weather.

"We call it frost burn. It turns the plant brown around the edges. Sometimes it will make them lose all their flowers. So it's something you want to avoid," said Kosswig.

Many people are following Agway's example by covering up to keep out the cold.

"My roses have started budding, and I think I have to cover those, too," said Corarito.

With the wind blowing and the chilly temperatures continuing through mid-week, plants could be in jeopardy for the next few days. Unless, of course, they're plastic.

You can check the latest forecast here to find out when it's going to warm up.