How to Protect Plants from Freezing Rain: An Emergency Guide for Your Garden
I heard it hitting the window an hour ago. That distinct, sharp click-click-click of freezing rain. It’s not soft like snow. It’s heavy. It’s mean. And if you’re reading this, you’re probably panicking about that expensive Japanese Maple you planted last spring.
Good. You should be.
Freezing rain is the silent killer of the garden. It doesn’t just freeze your plants; it suffocates them and snaps their limbs like toothpicks. I’ve seen better gardeners than you lose entire hedges in a single night because they stayed inside drinking cocoa instead of doing the prep work.
The storm is here (or it’s coming). Stop staring at the radar. Here is exactly what you need to do to protect plants from freezing rain before your yard turns into a graveyard.
Watch: Quick Summary of 5 Steps
1. Do Not—I Repeat, Do Not—Touch the Ice
If you only read one thing, make it this: Leave the ice alone.
I know the urge. You see your prize hydrangeas bending over, touching the ground under the weight of the ice. You want to run out there and shake them off. Don’t.
When plant tissue is frozen, it becomes as brittle as glass. If you shake a branch to knock off the ice, you aren’t saving it. You are snapping the internal vascular system of the plant. You might not see the damage today, but come spring, that branch will be dead.
So, if you wake up and your trees look like weeping willows? Let them weep. They are flexible. They will likely bounce back once the melt comes. If you interfere, you break them. Simple as that.
2. Build a “Blanket Fort” (But Do It Right)
You need to cover your sensitive plants. But most of you do this wrong. I see people wrapping just the top of the bush like a lollipop. That does nothing.
The heat isn’t coming from the plant; it’s coming from the earth. You need to trap the ground heat.
The Right Way:
- Grab your DIY plant covers for winter—old bedsheets, burlap, or frost blankets.
- Drape them over the plant all the way to the ground.
- Weigh down the edges with rocks, bricks, or those decorative gnomes I told you to throw away.
The Wrong Way:
- Using plastic directly on the leaves. Plastic transfers cold and will burn the foliage. If you must use a tarp, put a sheet underneath it first.
3. Water Your Plants (Yes, Seriously)
This sounds insane, I know. Adding water to a freeze? But listen to me.
Dry soil freezes faster and deeper than wet soil. Moist soil acts like a heat reservoir. It absorbs solar radiation during the day and releases it slowly at night.
According to the experts at Iowa State University Extension, a well-watered plant is a resilient plant. So, if the ground isn’t already frozen solid, go out there with a hose. Give the roots a good drink. Don’t soak the leaves—just the root zone. It creates a thermal buffer that might just save your roots from turning into ice cubes.
4. The “Bucket Method” for Small Guys
Got small perennials or saplings? Forget the blankets. Go to the garage and grab a 5-gallon bucket or a large trash can.
Flip it upside down over the plant. Put a brick on top so the wind doesn’t steal it. Boom. You just created a mini greenhouse.
This works perfectly for things like hostas or small boxwoods. Just remember to take the buckets off tomorrow morning once the temp rises above freezing. If you leave them on when the sun comes out, you’ll cook your plants. And then you’ll really be mad.
5. What About the Trees?
How to save ice-coated trees is a different beast. You can’t cover a 30-foot Oak.
For young trees, you can wrap the trunk with burlap strips to prevent “frost cracking”—that’s when the bark splits open from rapid temperature changes. For the big guys? You pray.
If a limb breaks and is hanging dangerously (what we call a “widowmaker”), do not try to be a hero with a chainsaw on an icy ladder. Call a pro. No shrub is worth a trip to the ER.
Quick Answers (Because I Know You’ll Ask)
Should I knock ice off trees? No. Put the broom down. You will snap the branches. Let nature melt it.
What temperature kills plants? It depends. Most tropicals die at 32°F. Hardy perennials can survive lower, but freezing rain (ice coating) suffocates them regardless of the air temp.
Can I wash freezing rain off plants? Don’t try it. Spraying warm water will shock the plant, and spraying cold water just adds more ice. Go inside and wait it out.
The Bottom Line
Freezing rain is nasty business. But plants are tougher than you give them credit for. They want to survive. You just need to give them a fighting chance.
Cover them up, keep the roots wet, and for the love of everything green, stop poking the ice.
Stay warm, and keep your clippers sharp.
