JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Temperatures are warming back up and many of you might be asking, when is the best time to start getting your garden ready?
Rhonda King from Earth Works Jacksonville noted "All year long in Jacksonville, there really isn't a right or wrong plant to plant right now" but there are some that you need to take extra care of.
She says if you plan on buying anything tropical, make sure you purchase frost blankets with it. Most of those plants are becoming more and more popular and can be severely impacted once temperatures drop into the 30s.
If you want a plant that you don't need to worry about when temperatures drop below freezing, try the Dusty Miller or the White Alyssum. These plants produce a natural anti-freeze that helps keeps alive despite the freezing temperatures.
She says that even with some semi-tropical plants, if we get multiple back to back days of below freezing, those plants could still see some significant impacts.
This actually used to be more common on the First Coast 30 to 40 years ago but with the overall climate becoming warmer, the average winter temperature has continued to rise as well as the amount of cold snaps in Jacksonville, as shown on the graphics below.
King also mentioned that if plants in your garden were impacted by the most recent cold and are looking rough you should hold off on trimming them until we have consistent warmer temperatures typically in March.
This is because trimming plants makes them more sensitive to future freezes.